R-III adapting to meet needs of increased enrollment

By Derrick Forsythe, Record Staff Writer
Posted 11/7/19

Two weeks into the 2016-17 school year, Warren County R-III Superintendent Jim Chandler says the district is running smoothly and has been adapting to meet unexpected needs. “We’re off to a …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

R-III adapting to meet needs of increased enrollment

Posted

Two weeks into the 2016-17 school year, Warren County R-III Superintendent Jim Chandler says the district is running smoothly and has been adapting to meet unexpected needs.“We’re off to a pretty good start,” said Chandler. “We’ve been pleased with the way things are moving and how the new staff members are fitting in.”Enrollment is up slightly over the previous year, with 3,233 in attendance during the first day on Aug. 11, compared to 3,207 in 2015-16.Warrenton High School increased its enrollment to 1,009 from a year ago.“We keep getting transfers in and out and people on vacation,” said Chandler. “We continue to look at bus routes and see if we need any adjustments there.”The official enrollment number counted by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will not be taken until the final Wednesday in September.“We’re seeing quite a bit of growth at the lower levels, and we’ve got a big fifth-grade group,” said Chandler.During its monthly meeting on Aug. 11, the school board voted to approve the addition of a fourth fifth-grade teacher at Rebecca Boone Elementary, which has the highest free and reduced lunch rate in the district.The recommendation was made to keep the building in alignment with Warrior Ridge and Daniel Boone Elementary schools in terms of student to teacher ratio.“We added another educator based on class size,” said Chandler. “As we continue to have a little bit of growth this year, we’ll take a closer look at our needs.”Rebecca Boone Elementary currently houses 87 fifth-grade students.The district also made a change to its Latchkey before and after school childcare programs. The hourly rate for the combined morning and afternoon services increased $1.50 per day.“With our growing numbers, for us to meet the needs and not take a loss in the program, we had to look at a proposal of different levels of cost increase,” explained Chandler.The addition of an assistant middle school softball coach was also approved at the Aug. 11 meeting. Chandler says this is in response to growing interest in the program.“It’s not that we’ve seen a significant increase in overall enrollment, but it’s more about where those increases have taken place within the district that we have to address,” he said.Warren County R-III School District


X