By Melissa Dunson

mdunson@joplinglobe.com

Many public and private school officials who have worried about declining enrollment in the face of job cuts, home foreclosures and a tight economy say that so far, the numbers are holding.

“It’s not dropping,” said Cory Gibson, assistant superintendent of public schools in Pittsburg, Kan., referring to enrollment for the upcoming year.

Gibson said he and other school officials expected a decline in enrollment because of the loss of more than 600 jobs when Superior Industries, an aluminum wheel manufacturer, closed its Pittsburg plant at the end of last year.

Superior represented 5 percent of Pittsburg’s work force and was the city’s largest private employer.

Gibson said school officials braced for a drop in enrollment, expecting former Superior employees to move out of the area to look for work.

“But we didn’t lose any students, and it looks like we’ve actually gained some,” he said of Pittsburg’s average 2,600-student enrollment.

Webb City Superintendent Ron Lankford braced for a similar decline that never materialized.

“I expected it last year because we were starting to hear about home foreclosures,” he said. “Many people had concerns that people would relocate.”

Lankford said that to his surprise, Webb City ended the past school year with a stable enrollment, and it looks to actually gain students this fall.

Lankford said Webb City usually grows its enrollment by about 60 students a year. This coming year, that growth looks to be closer to 13 new students, but Lankford said that in this economy, he thinks that’s good news. The district finished the past year with 3,852 students.

“We feel like we’re on course for a good year,” he said.

Joplin Superintendent C.J. Huff said officials won’t have an enrollment count until school starts in August, but kindergarten pre-enrollment is a good indicator. For Joplin, that indicator is up enough that Huff said the district may have to hire additional staff for that age group.

Joplin finished the past school year with 7,231 students districtwide; as of June 1, pre-enrollment was at 7,166.