Although Morton District 709 enrollment totals were lower in 2009 than they were 30 years ago, the amount of students entering the district in the past two years is leaving district officials wondering if the trend is changing.
In 1970, the district’s total enrollment was 3,508, nearly 800 more students than 2009’s total, 2,746.
“We met with elementary administration and took a look at kindergarten registration levels,” said District 709 Superintendent Roger Kilpatrick.
Kilpatrick said that the district’s population has been relatively stable for the past eight to 10 years, but the kindergarten class of the 2009-10 school year had 206 students, higher than the average of about 165 kindergartners each year.
He said it is not uncommon to experience a “bubble” every few years, in which a large group of students comes in, without a trend of high enrollment levels occurring in following years.
“Last year, we had a very large kindergarten group,” he said. “That’s one of the things you question. Is it an anomaly or a trend?”
It could be a trend. At 187, the entering kindergarten class for the 2010-11 school year is down from last year, but still above average.
“This makes me think the bubble isn’t just a bubble,” Kilpatrick said.
Despite these numbers, Kilpatrick said that student population growth is not a driving factor behind the district’s expansion/construction plan that will add to many schools and possibly add a new construction. These plans, he added, are based on the age of the schools — the newest, Lettie Brown Elementary, was built in 1977 — and the fact that the schools were not designed to accommodate current educational needs, such as areas for computer labs, special programs and ample physical education space.
The overall plan would focus on district elementary schools during phase one, followed by the junior high and high school in phase two.
At recent school board meetings, the possibility of expanding too much has been discussed. The district is working on a plan to make sure this does not happen, but if enrollment levels continue to rise, further additions could be in order.
“The potential for growth is something you keep in the back of your mind so you can accommodate if necessary,” Kilpatrick said. “If needed, we would be able to add additional classrooms.”
Kilpatrick said there is really no way of knowing what the district’s population will be like in upcoming years, but district officials are watching the number of incoming students.
“We’re just going to have to keep an eye on it,” he said.
