Schools report 10-day numbers
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on September 10, 2009 1:46 PM
Ten-day numbers are in for Wayne County Public Schools, with nearly 200 fewer students than last year -- in part because of changes in the rules for kindergarteners.
Tuesday was the 10th day of classes for public schools. On the first day, 18,116 were enrolled in the 31 schools. More than 1,100 were added to the roster since, with 19,182 registered by this week.
The numbers lag behind 2008, however, when 18,267 started out the school year and by the 10th day, there were 19,377.
The 10th day is the marker used by the state to determine staff needs and funding.
"Our school population is down some from this time last year but that was expected with the new age requirement for kindergarten enrollment," said Dr. Steven Taylor, schools superintendent. "This fall, we have 120 less kindergarten students enrolled district-wide than last year."
The most significant enrollment changes reflect the addition of the fifth and sixth grades at Dillard Middle School and the addition of a fifth grade at Mount Olive Middle. The district also has fewer schools this year, with the closure of Goldsboro Intermediate School and the merger of Belfast and Southern academies into the Wayne Middle/High Academy.
In addition to determining staffing and class sizes now that the 10-day numbers are in, the transportation department also uses the figures to finalize bus routes across the county. Staff will also follow-up on parent requests for bus stop changes, to see if routes can be improved upon even more.
Meanwhile, officials at the central office said any adjustments to teacher and instructional aide assignments are expected to be made within the next week.