Janesville student numbers down slightly
Photo 
Karen Schulte
JANESVILLE — The number of students in the Janesville School District has declined slightly since September, but the drop is not as sharp as it was from the fall of 2008 to the fall of 2009.
District officials Tuesday morning released student population numbers from an official Jan. 8 count.
The district lost 29 students since September, according to district data.
The district has 9,743 students, according to the data.
Janesville elementary schools have gained 66 students, while the middle and high schools lost 20 and 75 students, respectively.
In September, the district reported a loss of 176 students in kindergarten through 12th grade since September 2008.
The numbers didn’t affect this school year’s budget because state law includes a hold-harmless clause for districts with declining enrollments. The clause holds the district’s enrollment for state-aid purposes at the level of the previous year.
“I was pleasantly surprised that we were down (29),” Superintendent Karen Schulte said. “Compared to last year, I think, it was over 100.”
With the economy, the closing of the General Motors plant and people moving, she said she didn’t know what to expect.
But there’s always the concern that f a m i l i e s move at semester or at the end of the school year, she said.
“We’re really still on pins and needles about that. Our projections for next year are looking, really, relatively pretty good, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed,” she said.
If enrollment continues to drop, or the district doesn’t recoup those 29 students in fall, it will be a cut in revenue because aid is calculated per pupil, she said.
“Though we didn’t want anybody to move, 29 is not drastic at this point,” she said.
The Milton School District on Monday also reported a loss of students.
The district has lost 20 students since an official count in September, according to district data. The district counted 3,239 students on Jan. 8, according to the data.
JANESVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Total enrollment: 9,743
Elementary school enrollment: 4,256, an increase of 66 students since September.
Jefferson Elementary gained 20 students, Roosevelt Elementary gained 10 and Wilson Elementary lost five.
Middle school enrollment: 2,177, a decrease of 20 students since September.
Edison lost 19 students, Marshall lost six students, and Franklin gained three students. TAGOS Leadership Academy also gained two middle school students.
High school enrollment: 3,310 students, a loss of 75 students since September.
Rock River Charter School decreased by 33 high school students, Craig decreased by 26 students and Parker decreased by 22 students. TAGOS gained three high school students, CRES Academy gained two students and the Virtual Academy gained one student.
Source: Janesville School District
Jan 29, 2010 at 9:59 a.m.
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The DPI student count is called membership, which is an adjusted figure based on aid qualification. The discrepancy is totally understandable, and here's why.
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The reported figures you're seeing from the Janesviille website is Head Count. Head count is taken on the 3rd Friday in September and 2nd Friday in January and reported to DPI. However, enrollment is updated year round - so you can see why there would be some differences. DPI tracks students enrollment around the state, including open enrollment changes due to parent choices, families moving, dropouts, etc. The numbers reported to DPI are converted to "membership." Membership =/ Head Count (i.e. summer school student is treated differently. Head Count = 1, Membership = .40). The district does not use membership is reporting enrollment because enrollment is used in the state aid calculation, and because it wouldn't make sense. Head count is exactly what it sounds like - a count of pupils at a point in time.
Jan 28, 2010 at 4:13 p.m.
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Of the 70 GM workers that are transferring to Fort Wayne, how many have kids in the Janesville School District?
Jan 28, 2010 at 3:22 p.m.
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Napalm - So according to you and Joker (as he has stated in the past) Janesville will soon be like Beloit. So Janesville has roughly 63,000 people and Beloit has roughly 36,000 people. High Schools in Janesville roughly 3,300 kids. Beloit Memorial roughly 1,800 kids, not to mention Beloit Turner.
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I wouldn't call it denial, I would call it basic math, and common sense. Janesville is not going to lose almost 27,000 people anytime soon. People need to realize the recession is just that. Not the end of the World. As far as the burglaries. They've been here forever. Worse when times are tough.
Jan 28, 2010 at 2:32 p.m.
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I believe the DPI estimate is based on a 3 year average.
Jan 28, 2010 at 2:09 p.m.
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ihavealife, these figures are probably from different sources or points in time. Enrollment does change over the course of a school year and is not frozen in time. The state DPI has a specific guideline for the figure it uses and would not in any case reflect this sort of half-year estimate.
Jan 28, 2010 at 1:38 p.m.
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I wonder how many of the high schoolers are dropouts?
Jan 28, 2010 at 1:22 p.m.
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I think the number estimate is given based on a random count day in the Janesville Schools. Absent students are not included in this count.
Jan 28, 2010 at 10:25 a.m.
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Joker - This just proves your prediction is wrong and beyond exaggerated. Was just a matter of time for the facts to show you up. They answered.
Jan 28, 2010 at 10:16 a.m.
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Hank - I think the "merger" issue was pretty much handled in the Milton article. Now you are just trolling.
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I think this is actually some pretty good news for Janesville. A loss of only 20 students, and increases at the elementary level, are both positive signs of at least stability and, perhaps, future growth. To put numbers in perspective, Janesville had a 0.3% decrease, Milton had a 0.6% decrease. Hardly a mass exodus.
Jan 28, 2010 at 9:51 a.m.
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"Joker"....Really? Your comment makes no sense. Re-read the numbers in the article.
Jan 27, 2010 at 6:36 p.m.
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Enrollment has dropped about 2% since September 2008. Yup, those High schools are losing students left and right. Never mind that elementary enrollment...future high-schoolers...has increased.
Jan 27, 2010 at 6:35 p.m.
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200 out of 10,000 is 2% in two years. Perhaps if this trend continues for merely another 48 years, TheJoker, your prediction will come true!
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The enrollment squeeze is much more of a problem at the elementary level, because of the smaller facilities -- but those schools are actually adding students right now. We should still go ahead with the boundary line committee, so that we're prepared, but I'm very intrigued at the rise there. It suggests the job market may have stabilized, for one thing.
Jan 27, 2010 at 5:16 p.m.
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These numbers will just get worse and worse and like I have said for a long time, Janesville will need and will have only one high school.
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