Grand Island school district expecting another record kindergarten class

After having a record kindergarten class of 750 students this past school year, Grand Island Public Schools is expecting a new record class of almost 800 kindergartners next school year.

The consecutive records will create space issues, some of which district officials and school board members have already addressed.

But no answer has been found for other space needs.

Jim Werth, assistant superintendent for student services, has made his enrollment projection based on spring kindergarten enrollment and the number of babies born to mothers five years ago.

Werth said the school district receives statistics from the Nebraska Department of Human Services about the number of babies born to mothers who list their home address as being within the Grand Island school district.

He noted that most of those births are at St. Francis Medical Center, but they also include babies born at Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital in Hastings and other hospitals around the state.

He noted that 856 babies were born to mothers with Grand Island school district addresses in 2003. Of that number, Werth expects 791 kindergartners to enroll in August.

That number is confirmed by 643 youngsters who have been enrolled for kindergarten by their parents. Werth noted that spring kindergarten registration typically lags behind the actual number of kindergartners who show up for class in August.

Werth said several elementary schools -- Wasmer, Lincoln and  Shoemaker -- are expected to see significant enrollment increases.

That is in part because of the expected influx of kindergarten students, but Werth said that particularly in Shoemaker's case, other factors appear to be at work.

"We've been waiting for the other shoe to drop at Shoemaker," said Werth, referring to all the homebuilding going on in northwest Grand Island.

It now appears that shoe has dropped, with Shoemaker apparently starting to get students from an adjacent housing subdivision, Werth said. "That doesn't count the Copper Creek subdivision (just south of the school)."

Werth said some of Shoemaker's enrollment growth also will come from the new apartments just west of Kmart.

Under the 10-year building plan adopted as part of the 2005 bond issue, Shoemaker is next in line for expansion.

Werth said Senior High also is expected once again to have more than 2,000 students enrolled this fall.

Total Grand Island K-12 enrollment is projected to be 8,101, compared to 7,950 this past school year.

That swells to about 8,400 students when preschool students are added.

Werth said the Grand Island schools expect to face space issues, both because of enrollment growth and because of the new state aid law that says all K-3 classrooms should have fewer than 20 students.

New modular classrooms will be placed at West Lawn, Wasmer, Starr and Stolley Park Elementary schools before classes begin in August, Werth said.

That means the Grand Island school district will have 11 modular classroom buildings at its schools next year. Werth said Lincoln already has two modular buildings, and there is one each at Engleman, Jefferson, Stolley Park and Knickrehm Elementary schools.

While Shoemaker is next in line for expansion, the district's 10-year building plan calls for several elementary schools to be expanded.

Werth said elementary schools with modular classrooms are likely candidates for being expanded, although no decisions have been made on which school should get priority after Shoemaker is expanded.

In addition to using modular buildings to address its elementary school space needs, the district also is renting preschool classroom space at Third City Christian Church in Grand Island for the 2008-09 school year. Werth noted the church space was designed to be used by preschoolers, making it a very good space for the district.

He said the district has 11 preschool classrooms serving 330 students in various locations.

"Our preschool enrollment is dependent on the space we have," Werth said.

If preschool enrollment was based only on the needs of students, the district's total preschool enrollment would be 600 kids, comprised of 300 3-year-olds and another 300 4-year-olds, Werth said.

"That would take care of all our ELL (English language learner), at-risk and special education students -- and it wouldn't compete with private preschools," Werth said.

This year's and next year's large kindergarten classes make it problematic, though, as to whether the district can keep having preschool classes in any of its schools, Werth said.

He noted this year's kindergarten class needed 41 classes. That means first grade will need 41 classes next year, especially with the mandate to keep K-3 classes to fewer than 20 students.

That's part of the reason the district is installing modular classroom buildings for the coming school year.

Space will be at even more of a premium during the 2009-10 school year when next year's anticipated class of 790 kindergartners becomes first-graders and this year's kindergartners become second-graders, Werth said.

While the district has a 10-year plan in place to address building needs, several other needs are bubbling up that weren't really addressed as part of the 2005 bond issue campaign.

Werth said the district's first priority would probably be finding enough space to conduct all its preschool classes without using any schools for preschool classroom space.

Its second priority likely would be to find new and expanded space for its alternative high school program, Werth said.

Superintendent Steve Joel said the third priority would likely be to have space to enroll more high school students in more of a technical vocational program.

"Every time a building in Grand Island becomes vacant, we inquire about it," Joel said.

He said many people who own or manage property in Grand Island know the school district is looking for additional space.

However, the space typically is too expensive or its physical layout does not meet school district needs, Joel said.



Bond issues have met needs over the years

Jim Werth, assistant superintendent for student services, said the Grand Island school district is keeping up with its building needs, even if it has been forced to use modular buildings and convert school storage space into classroom space.

Werth said the district would not be so fortunate if voters had not approved three bond issues over the past 15 years.

The first and largest bond issue was in 1993, when voters approved a $28.6 million bond issue.

That bond issue built additions and renovated Dodge, Howard and Knickrehm elementary schools, built a new West Lawn Elementary, built additions and renovations to Barr and Westridge middle schools, and built a two-story addition to Senior High.

In 1996, voters approved the bond issue for the new Lincoln Elementary.

In 2005, school district patrons approved the bond issue for a new Westridge and classroom additions at Barr and Walnut middle schools.

In addition to the three bond issues, the district used building fund money to construct the new Wasmer Elementary. Using other sources of money, the district has also constructed classroom additions at Howard and Dodge elementary schools, two of the buildings included in the 1993 bond issue.

"We've really added to our capacity," Werth said.

But those building projects -- along with modular classrooms -- are basically keeping the district even with enrollment growth, he said.

"We keep growing about 1 percent or 1.5 percent per year, Werth said.

If present trends continue, the Grand Island school district's total K-12 enrollment could be about 8,450 students by the 2012-13 school year.