Parkland Evaluates Jaindl, Fogelsville Student Populations

officials are evaluating student enrollments at Jaindl and Fogelsville elementary schools as the student population in that area of the district grows, Superintendent Richard Sniscak told the school board’s Personnel and Finance Committee on Monday.

, in only its second year of operation, has exceeded growth expectations, Sniscak said. Parkland had hoped to open Jaindl with 550 students, but by the close of its first year (the 2010-2011 school year), the school had more than 600 students. It currently has 660 students.

Sniscak said the district wants to plan now for the 2012-2013 school year.

“It’s a situation we need to remedy,” Sniscak said, adding there is a significant amount of affordable housing in that area, primarily new townhouses.

has 436 students, assistant Superintendent Rod Troutman said. That’s in comparison to the nearly 800 students there prior to Jaindl opening.

Last month, Sniscak told the Personnel and Finance Committee that the first, second and third grades at Jaindl were so full, students already were , 1051 Weilers Road, to Fogelsville, 312 S. Route 100. Both schools are in Breinigsville.

On Monday, Sniscak said the density of the student population is so great in the area near the Jaindl building that one of the bus stops has 54 students.

Sniscak said there are three classrooms at Jaindl that can be used for full-day classes, if necessary. The rooms are currently being used for other instructional needs, such as small group instruction and special education. 

Troutman and Sniscak said they will try to be sensitive to the needs of families. “We don’t want kids to feel like they’re on a bouncing ball,” Troutman said. In other words, he said, they don’t want to move students too often between Jaindl and Fogelsville.

Troutman said they hope to be able to alert families to their plans by the new year.

“It’s good to be proactive,” school board member David Kennedy said.