By Roz Weis,
As Decorah School District officials celebrate the recent passage of a $38 million dollar bond referendum, they may also be faced with some looming budgetary challenges.
A comparison of certified enrollment for 2024 released during Monday night’s monthly school board meeting indicated there are approximately 66 fewer students attending Decorah Community Schools than there were during the previous school year. Enrollment is now at 1,398 compared to 1,465 a year ago.
Declining enrollment affects the district’s budget, and DCSD Superintendent Tim Cronin said some of the decline can be attributed to approximately 23 students in the northern part of the county attending Mabel-Canton School in nearby Minnesota. He also cited an increase in the number of students studying in virtual classrooms across the region. He
speculated some of the decline may be simply due to fewer students living in the district.
The declining enrollment figures are just one the challenges facing the board in the year ahead.
In a report to the board, Dana Bockman, who serves as facilitator of instruction and assessment and the elementary assistant principal at Carrie Lee Elementary and John Cline Elementary, presented a 2023-24 progress report analysis to the board. Bockman cited several areas of concern, and the declining enrollment figures topped the list — other areas for improvement included addressing chronic absenteeism, expanding student behavioral interventions and providing supportive answers to closing any proficiency gaps in achievement.
The enrollment data released Monday was viewed as a red flag by some board members.
“This is a huge hit for our public school system,” said Decorah School Board President Cindy Goodner. “In addition to just receiving this data, we need to be thoughtful and look at how to support enrollment.”
Goodner went on to question whether the lower number of students could be due to a lack of affordable, available single-family housing in the district, forcing some families to live outside the Decorah area.
Athletic conference update
Also discussed at Monday’s meeting was a recent ruling by the State of Iowa Education Director McKenzie Snow, which confirmed the Upper Iowa Conference’s denial of Decorah School’s bid to join the UIC athletic conference in 2025-26.
Decorah’s failed attempt to join the UIC came as the district’s current conference, the Northeast Iowa Conference, expects to disband following this academic year.
“It’s clear that the current process has not been beneficial for Decorah students,” Cronin said. “We remain committed to exploring all possible avenues to ensure the best opportunities for them.”
Full coverage of the school board meeting is available in the November 14 Decorah Leader.
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