District projected to gain 872 students in next decade

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According to enrollment projections presented to the Delaware City Schools Board of Education Monday night, the district will gain nearly 900 students by the 2026-2027 school year.

The data was presented by Tracy Healy, the President of FutureThink, an organization that creates enrollment projects based on a variety of factors including birthrate, county growth and housing developments.

According to Healy, the district will see approximately 15 percent growth in the next decade and projections indicate an increase of 872 students district wide. Healy broke the this growth down to 410 kindergarten through fifth-grade students, 318 students grade six through eight and 144 students grades 9 through 12.

Healy reported that the district currently has 5,636 students enrolled for the 2016-2017 school year and projected that number will rise to 6,508 in 2026-2027.

Healy further said Smith Elementary School will gain 31 students, Carlisle Elementary will gain 77 students, Conger Elementary will gain 58 students, Woodward Elementary will gain 78 students and Schultz will gain 102 students.

Healy said Schultz will gain the most students because it covers the western and south portion of the City of Delaware, the two areas seeing the most growth and development.

Delaware City Schools Superintendent Paul Craft said the district’s expansions to account for student growth will help contain the growth but said some elementary schools will be near capacity.

Craft noted specifically that Schultz will be over capacity if it gains the projected 102 students. Craft said the district would be considering solutions to the overpopulation at Schultz and said the board would have “tough decisions to make.”

After the presentation, the board approved two change orders for Dunlop and Johnston, Inc, for work at Dempsey Middle School in the amounts of $36,911 and $26,982. According to district Director of Facilities and Transportation, Jason Sherman, the change orders were to cover revisions inside Dempsey to convert several classrooms into dual classrooms and city required work on the outside of the building.

Additionally, the board approved the following actions:

• Purchasing two 77-passenger school buses for the amount of $176,434. The money for the buses will come from the permanent improvement fund.

• The retirement of Cindy Butts, a bus driver and Paul Olen, a School Aged Child Care (SACC) tutor at Dempsey Middle School. Both have been with the district since 2013.

• The resignation of Rebecca Merriman, a cross-categorical educational assistant at Conger Elementary School.

• Approving Tedezza Umbriaco, a cook/cashier at Woodward and Leanne Zeller, a SACC assistant. Both will work at Woodward Elementary School.

Schultz Elementary School.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2017/01/web1_DSC_1292.jpgSchultz Elementary School.

By Glenn Battishill

[email protected]

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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