At the Brownwood ISD Board of Trustees meeting June 14th, Trustees were given monumental news. Student enrollment was 124 students higher this year than last school year, and even more shocking news followed; so far, the district has received 149 out-of-district transfer requests for the upcoming school year.
The enrollment trend for the past several years has been ending the year five to twenty students less than at the beginning of the year. Not only did the trend cease, but it took a dramatic shift.
For the 2009-2010 school year, overall enrollment went up almost 4%. Although 4% may not seem dramatic, it has huge implications for a 3A school. When looking at the average classroom size of 22 students, adding 124 more students equates to over five classrooms of new students. Not all the new students were in the same grade or even the same school, so the increase was spread more evenly. The campuses with the greatest jump in enrollment were East Elementary, with an additional 46 students, Intermediate with 28, and Northwest Elementary with 25. Brownwood High School ended the year with only six more students than last year, although 45 students transferred to the High School during the course of the year.
In addition to student numbers, the 4% increase in enrollment made a significant impact on the BISD budget. According to deputy superintendent, Kevin Gabaree, higher enrollment added $500,000 in un-budgeted revenue. School districts receive state funding based largely off of the number of students enrolled. More students means more state funds, and enables the district to provide educational services. The School Board has approved using part of the additional revenue to purchase new laptop computers for all of the Pre-Kindergarten though 4th grade teachers (5th – 12th grade teachers already have laptops).
BISD officials are now looking at a stack of 149 transfer requests for the 2010-2011 school year. In the 2009-2010 school year, 117 students were out-of-district transfers, and in 2008-2009, there were 93.
At the same time, the number of students living within Brownwood ISD who transfer out to another district is decreasing. In 2008-2009, 342 students transferred out of BISD. In 2009-2010, that number went down 13% to 298 students transferring out. It is not yet known the number of students who will be transferring out of BISD for the upcoming school year, but it appears that the number will go down again.
How will BISD handle this new trend? “We will take as many students as we can,” said Superintendent, Dr. Reece Blincoe. The only reasons why transfers would not be accepted is if the student has discipline or attendance problems, or there simply is not enough room to take them.
Having enough room for new students is not an issue for the Intermediate, Middle and High School campuses. Seeing the enrollment go up in the lower grades, BISD administrators are already discussing how the East Elementary campus can be expanded.
What is the reason for the shift in student enrollment and transfers? BISD officials say it is a combination of factors. Top reasons include the 1:1 Initiative at the High School (and now 8th grade) that provides laptops for each student, expanded High School career tracks, like the new Health Science Pharmacy Tech certification, dual credit opportunities at Howard Payne University, newly renovated campuses, and a public awareness campaign.
A successful athletic program certainly generates interest; however, UIL rules do not allow students to transfer for athletic purposes. In fact, if a student transfers out-of-district, they must wait year before being allowed to play varsity level sports. Only students who legally move into the school district are eligible to participate in varsity athletics.
District-wide enrollment occurs on August 11, but final numbers for transfers both in and out-of-district will not be known until later in the fall. “We are watching the numbers very closely,” said Dr. Blincoe. “We don’t want to turn anyone away.”
