Dropping attendance rate has officials concerned about finances

Some schools bursting at seams; others have empty classrooms, superintendents report

Following the 2005 hurricane season, the number of out-of-area students in Tri-parish public schools increased dramatically. With the school year officially under way, officials are more concerned about finances because of lower attendance numbers.

According to Ray Bernard, Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance Department for Lafourche Parish Schools, the number of students attending in the first week has dropped from last year’s totals.

Some 15,015 students attended school in Lafourche during the 2005-2006 session. Week one of 2006-2007 year is at 14,464.

“The reason for the difference is Katrina. After the storm we saw an influx of students from Orleans and surrounding parishes. Pre-Katrina, we counted 14,524 students so our MFP numbers are still down, but there isn’t a major difference,” said Bernard.

Minimum Foundation Program tallies are what parish school boards look at regarding population. This determines the amount funds schools will see from the state.

Previously, MFP was based on culmination of both population and sales tax numbers.

Bernard says that the population drop will probably not affect amount of funds in the short haul because of sales tax totals increasing and the Louisiana Education Department promising to adjust distribution.

“We were paid for the 15,000 students last year but MFP will not be cut. They have worked out calculations to even [distribution of funds],” said Bernard.

Beth Scioneaux, MFP Division director of the LDE, confirmed that formulas have been adjusted for the current school year. “If there are decreases in enrollment, parishes will not have to worry about a drop in funding. The numbers taken from May 1 will be used in those cases. We want to help so parishes don’t have to make budget cuts.”

The 2006-2007 fiscal year adjustments average dollar amount is up from $60 to $80 per student for mandated costs. On average the state provides 65 percent of costs while local districts provide 35 percent, according to the LDE Web site.

Scioneaux said that provisions within the formula exclude parishes that account for increases in attendance. An Oct. 2 recount will then determine funding for the 2007-2008 school year.

If student population continues to drop like the current trend suggests, school funding will continue to drop.

Terrebonne Parish public school attendance has dropped as well, but is also facing a distribution problem. Some schools are overly crowded, requiring portable classrooms on campuses, while other schools have empty desks.

In the first week, teachers tallied 19,101 students. A recount on Sept. 11 found an additional 115 students in attendance but still marks a decrease from 2005-2006 total of 19,369 students.

“We are always expecting attendance to go up,” said Linda Joseph, Terrebonne Parish supervisor of Child Welfare. “There are a lot of businesses going up [around the parish] and we expect families to continue to move in.”

Joseph attributes the increase between the first and second week of school to the fact that there are still some families moving back to the area and children are beginning late.

At the Sept. 5 Terrebonne Parish School Board meeting, members addressed an issue concerning the distribution of students. Member Rickie Pitre voiced concern regarding the recommendation for construction of an eight classroom modular wing at Mulberry Elementary School.

Superintendent Ed Richard Jr. said that overcrowding is an issue but the shift in population across the district is yet to be determined or even understood.

“The schools in southern Terrebonne are less populated due to the flooding and people moved. The thing is that the numbers from the northern schools don’t equal the loss in the [south], said Richard. “There are still 200 students here from Katrina but our numbers are still down.”

Those schools with too many students and not enough seats tend to be at the elementary level. High school students are easier to disperse because of adaptable scheduling and the number attending Vo-Tech programs during the day.

“In the meantime we are trying to decipher the trend, see how long it will last and then plan for action,” said Richard.

Parish schools in St. Mary are experiencing a population shift that is causing similar issues. Kenneth Locket, Attendance and Child Welfare supervisor of the St. Mary School Parish, says that a four- to five-year trend would more than likely result in new building or redrawing district lines.

Attendance is following a similar downward trend that Lafourche and Terrebonne observe; totals in the first week decrease from the previous year from 9,701 students to 8,767.

“We are loosing students at a rate of 160 to 180 per year,” said Locket.

St. Mary also counts on the LED to make adjustments to the MFP to stabilize funding.

“We could see a negative impact in MFP funding but adjustments were made over the last few years to increase the dollar average per student, so in recent years we have not seen any major impact. Sales tax dollars are up so that makes up for some of the missing students,” Locket said.

Andrea Carlson can be reached at (985) 876-3008 or andrea@tri-parishtimes.com