Crowded classrooms were found across the Lawrence public school system Monday despite the district’s fourth consecutive steep decline in elementary enrollment.

“I’ve had calls from parents and teachers about crowding,” said Wayne Kruse, president of the union representing Lawrence educators.

In the wake of the district’s opening-day enrollment count — which found enrollment down at elementaries but up slightly at junior highs and high schools — crowding appears to be concentrated at elementary schools. There, only 52 of 241 classrooms comply with class-size targets adopted this year by the school board.

Less than one-fourth of classes in kindergarten to third grade meet the goal of having from 13 to 17 students. But more than 90 percent of classes in fourth through sixth grades meet the board’s cap of 26 or fewer students.

“We certainly have a desire to have the most effective class sizes,” said Mary Rodriguez, the district’s personnel director. “Unfortunately, the resources aren’t there to support that at this time.”

The board acted to prevent much larger class sizes by setting aside $440,000 to hire 10 extra teachers.

More recently, the district shifted extra staff from New York School to deal with unexpected enrollment surges in sixth grade at Prairie Park School and kindergarten at Kennedy School.

“We’re taking care of that,” Supt. Randy Weseman said.

Squeezed secondary schools

A group of eighth-grade classmates let their school work go to their heads as they pass between classes at South Junior High School. From left are Nichole Gentry, Samantha Schumock, Janae Colter and Lindsey Murray. The four were headed to one of the school's 11 classes that meet in portables because of crowded conditions.

The board didn’t set class-size goals for secondary schools, but some of those buildings are stretching classroom space.

For example, some elective classes at South Junior High School have bulged to 30 students.

“And we’re out of space,” Principal Russell Blackbird said. “Right now, we have 11 classes in portables. I have two teachers who are roving, and I have no place to put them.”

Myron Melton, principal at West Junior High School, said faculty at West also were running out of room.

“We have no extra space for anybody,” he said.

¢ 6News video: Enrollment down again, officials say¢ Student-transfer policy called ‘liberal’ (7-24-03)¢ School closings leave classrooms crowded (6-7-03)

The district’s first-day numbers:

• High school enrollment was 2,548, up 19. Free State had 1,244, up 25; Lawrence High School had 1,304, down six.
• Junior high school enrollment was 2,462, up 22. The high was 675 at Southwest and the low 504 at Central.

The unofficial head count of Lawrence public schools taken Monday showed that total district enrollment dropped for the fourth straight year. The official enrollment will be taken Sept. 22. 2003 enrollment by grade Grade Enrolled Kindergarten 665 First 663 Second 727 Third 699 Fourth 705 Fifth 714 Sixth 746 Seventh 815 Eighth 835 Ninth 812 10th 852 11th 845 12th 840 School 2002 2003 Change Broken Arrow 250 266 16 Centennial 182 Cordley 183 215 32 Deerfield 502 532 30 East Heights 159 Hillcrest 367 361 -6 Kennedy 277 342 65 Langston Hughes 266 279 13 New York 128 143 15 Pinckney 279 321 42 Prairie Park 417 426 9 Quail Run 409 386 -23 Riverside* 111 Schwegler 403 424 21 Sunflower 362 402 40 Sunset Hill 318 317 -1 Wakarusa Valley 247 254 7 Woodlawn 218 241 23 Total elementary 5,078 4,909 -169 Central 507 504 -3 South 645 655 10 Southwest 655 675 20 West 633 628 -5 Total junior high 2,440 2,462 22 Free State 1,219 1,244 25 Lawrence 1,310 1,304 -6 Total senior high 2,529 2,548 19 Total 10,047 9,919 -128 *Note: Centennial, East Heights and Riverside schools were closed in May 2003. Source: Lawrence public schools

• Elementary school enrollment was 4,909, down 169.

Elementary enrollment off

The district has lost a minimum of 120 elementary students in each of the previous three years, based on first-day tallies.

Rodriguez said she could only offer theories about the four-year drop.

“I really do believe we are in a much more mobile society than we have been before,” Rodriguez said. “People’s jobs come and go in the area, and that could have an effect on it. It could be that some people may choose to go to private schools or outlying districts where the cost of living may be lower.”

In May, Lawrence school board members responded to enrollment trends in elementary schools by shutting down three schools — East Heights, Centennial and Riverside.

That left the district with 15 elementary buildings.

The board also directed that East Heights students be divided between New York and Kennedy schools. The goal of the district was to push New York enrollment over 200 and Kennedy’s to around 360. On Monday, New York fell far short at 143 while Kennedy nearly made the target at 342.

Cordley School, which was to take in the bulk of Centennial’s students and grow to about 260, had a first-day count of 215.

The situation at Broken Arrow School, which was to increase its enrollment 15 percent due to consolidation, illustrates how difficult it has been to anticipate where students wind up.

Principal Larry Bakerink said the district’s projection was for an enrollment of 304, up 54 from last year’s first-day total. The head count Monday was 266.

His concern had been that Broken Arrow would have to grapple with 52 students in third grade. Only 32 have appeared so far.

Sixth-grade enrollment at Broken Arrow grew beyond expectations.

“We’ve got something like 19 new sixth-graders in there,” Bakerink said.

Rodriguez said she wouldn’t know until enrollment information was analyzed next month what prompted shortfalls at elementary schools where growth was expected.

“That’s part of what we’re trying to work through,” Rodriguez said. “One of the things to keep in mind is that this is the preliminary, unofficial enrollment. It’s fluid.”

She said the official enrollment count would be taken in September.