Brown County Schools was projected to have 58 fewer students sitting in desks this school year, but the certified enrollment from the state is painting a brighter picture for the district.
Last school year, 1,786 students attended school in Brown County. Superintendent Laura Hammack’s initial enrollment projection for this school year was 1,734.
The Indiana Department of Education certified the district’s enrollment total for this fall at 1,760 — down 26 compared to this time last year.
Included in those figures are eight new students who weren’t attending schools in the district last year, Hammack said.
The state pays a school district “tuition support” for each student enrolled. That money goes into a district’s education fund, which pays teachers and staff.
Because of declining tuition support, the district has had to be in a mode of continually cutting expenses. This year the district cut almost $750,000 from the budget. In previous school years, the district has made cuts totaling over $1 million.
Hammack said she expects to have information on the financial impact of the net loss of 26 students by mid-November. She estimated in September that the financial impact would be about $6,000 per child.
She said that while the district is pleased to have lost not as many students as planned, it is still a concern to have lost 26.
“We understand that families are choosing other school districts and online educational options while still residing in Brown County. This is a reality that we recognize, own and actively work to better understand so that our programming can meet the needs of all Brown County residents,” she said in an email last week.
Losing 26 students is the size of a single classroom, which Hammack said is “very positive.” Last school year, the district counted 92 fewer students than the year before after the enrollment was certified.
“Our school district has been laser-focused towards district transformation over the past three years. We are building programs and opportunities that provide for students graduating from Brown County High School an operational plan that sets them up for success in whatever post-secondary experience they choose,” Hammack said.
“We believe that the transformation of teaching and learning through increased integration of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) instructional model is resonating for students and their families.”
Last year, the district received a $500,000 Ready Schools grant from the Regional Opportunities Initiative.
Plans for the money included implementing STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education at all grade levels, funding the Eagle Manufacturing center at the high school, and rebranding the Brown County Career Resource Center as an educational hub for everyone and not just adult students.
The district also is working to retain and attract “high-quality educators” using funding from a $5.5 million federal grant it recently received. It will reward teachers with bonuses for helping students move forward in their education.
The district continues to work on marketing itself to families.
Hammack said the district is working on rebranding and rebuilding its website along with developing messages using videos and photos “to better tell the story of our school district.”
Hammack is often posting on social media about various classroom activities, sport events and achievements of students and staff. A bi-weekly newsletter also is sent out.
Hammack is also no stranger to the Indiana Statehouse, where she advocates on behalf of the district “so Brown County Schools is noticed and valued for the world class work we are doing in a small and rural application,” she said.
This won’t be the only time students are counted this school year. A second count will happen in February, which will then inform how much tuition support the district will receive from the state. This is a change for districts that was approved during the last legislative session. The last two years, the February count had not been used to determine tuition support.
Once that February count is certified, a recalculation will be done of dollars to be distributed to the district, which could result in the district receiving less tuition support, Hammack said.
“It is not likely at all that we will gain students before the February count. Historically, with the exception of one school year, we lost students before the Feb. 1 count,” she said.
Hammack said the only way to address reduced revenue coming in from the state is to increase revenue from other sources, like grants, and to reduce expenses.
“We have ongoing concerns about our student enrollment,” she said.
“We will need to continue to reduce our budget with cuts to our education and operations funds to ensure that we maintain an equilibrium between dollars receipted and dollars expended.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Brown County Schools enrollment” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
2007-08: 2,232 students
2008-09: 2,130
2009-10: 2,100
2010-11: 2,035
2011-12: 1,997
2012-13: 1,973
2013-14: 1,967
2014-15: 1,902
2015-16: 1,939
2016-17: 1,800
2017-18: 1,878
2018-19: 1,786
2019-20: 1,760
CURRENT SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS
Helmsburg Elementary: 187 (down 13)
Sprunica Elementary: 242 (stayed the same)
Van Buren Elementary: 205 (up 14)
Brown County Intermediate: 274 (up 10)
Brown County Junior High: 269 (down 7)
Brown County High: 583 (down 36)
NOTE: Enrollment totals do not include preschool students because they are not counted in enrollment totals at the state level.
Source: Brown County Superintendent Laura Hammack
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