Job losses, foreclosures, economy no threat to local school enrollment

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June 29, 2009

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Mon Jun 29, 2009, 10:32 PM CDT

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.

School officials in Carthage, Carl Junction and Neosho could not be reached for comment.

Private schools

Enrollment projections also have surprised officials with several private schools. They said they haven’t seen a drop despite the tight economy.

“Parents who are passionate about their kids’ education don’t really let the economy affect them,” said Robert Carlson, spokesman for Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School in Joplin.

Thomas Jefferson continues to keep its enrollment around its average of 250 students, and Carlson said the school has had more new students in the past two years than ever before. In 2008, the school brought in 57 new students, and Carlson said 30 new students already are enrolled for this fall. He projected the fall enrollment will be at least 255.

And the school isn’t just waiting out the recession either. Thomas Jefferson just hired a new head of school, and five new middle-school and high-school teachers, and it is starting a $125,000 renovation of its library.

Nancy Roark, director of business affairs for Joplin Area Catholic Schools, said the school system has seen a boost in enrollment in all three of its schools — elementary, middle school and high school. And the increase is coming from both the Catholic and non-Catholic communities, she said.

The system serves Southwest Missouri, Southeast Kansas and Northeast Oklahoma, and has an average enrollment of 415 students.

College Heights Christian School, the largest Christian school in the area, hit record enrollment of 606 students two years ago. Superintendent Jim Rhea said the school saw a drop last year to 572, and he blamed the decline on tight finances and higher gas prices.

“I attribute that to the economy as much as anything,” Rhea said. “I think the economy has to have some impact on families and us as well.”

But so far this year, Rhea said, the school’s enrollment has been resilient. He projects stable enrollment for the fall, with 560 students already pre-enrolled this summer.

‘Sure investment’

Myra McGovern, director of public information for the National Association of Independent Schools, said private schools across the country are seeing enrollment boosts during this time when it seems as if they should drop. It’s the same pattern as the last six economic recessions, she said.

And the reason behind the upward trend seems to be the economy.

“It’s a little counter-intuitive. Any time there is a fee involved, people are looking at it closely,” McGovern said of the cost to attend private school. “But we’ve found that families are valuing education and willing to invest in it. And these days, education is a more sure investment than a lot of things.”

Stability

Public school officials said they can’t quite put their fingers on why enrollment may be going up. Different superintendents cited such factors as the low cost of living for the region. Cory Gibson, assistant superintendent in Pittsburg, said keeping children in their schools may provide much-needed stability for children whose families are being disrupted by layoffs and foreclosures.