Ark Valley News - District enrollment up

District enrollment up
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: September 13, 2018

The Valley Center school district is growing again.

According to a Sept. 7 headcount, the district has 78 more students this year than the year before, crossing the 3,000 mark for the first time.

Superintendent Cory Gibson reported that 3,022 students are enrolled in Valley Center schools this year. Last year, there were 2,944.

That number could change by the Sept. 20 official count date.

"I knew there would be enrollment growth for a lot of reasons," Gibson said.

Elementary schools (through third grade) grew by 27 students, while fourth and fifth increased by six. The middle school grades saw an increase of 44, while the high school grew by 12.

While the district saw small gains between 2007 and 2012, it has grown significantly and steadily for the past six years, Gibson said.

In 2011-12, there were 2,650 students. The district has grown 6.8 percent in the past five years and 21.1 percent over the past 15 years.

"I'm very happy for the growth we have and I'm glad for the rate that we're going," school board president Brad Barbour said. "… If we can keep it like this every year, that would be good."

In other business Sept. 10, the board:

•Heard a report on federal and state funds.

•Learned that the district would be sending out requests for proposals to banks to handle the district's accounts. The district has used Fidelity since July 2009. Susan Harris, finance director, said the district has no issue with Fidelity. Rather, the district is doing its due diligence, she said.

•Approved the publication of the district's 2018-19 budget in Sedgwick County's official newspaper in Derby. The republication is required when the tax revenue is greater than the consumer price index. Though the district's budget lowered the mill levy, it will be taking in 3.8 percent more taxes because of an increase in assessed valuation. The CPI is 2.1 percent. In another budget-related vote, the board approved the publication of a resolution allowing the district to raise its local option budget to 33 percent. The move will allow the district to shift property tax mill levies from its capital outlay fund to the local option budget, which receives more state equalization funds, without increasing taxes.

•Accepted a supplement contract resignation from Ryan Jones (baseball assistant coach, Aug. 28).

•Approved supplemental contracts for Dillon Jackson (high school track assistant coach, $3,312, Feb. 1) and Susan Harris (Valley Center Recreation Commission ex-officio treasurer, $1,000, Sept. 4).

•Approved hiring Emilee Kelly (cook at the middle school, $11.35, Aug. 21), Erin Moreno (Title aide at West, $11.45 per hour, Aug. 27), Barbara Johnson (bus driver, $14.10 per hour, Sept. 4) and Andrea Fairman (at-risk aide at Abilene, $9.85 per hour, Sept. 5).

•Accepted resignations from Cameron Shipley (network administrator, Sept. 7) and Sarah Warren (WSU para at the intermediate school, Sept. 7).

•Approved transfers for Amy Bradley (from half-time at-risk aide to kindergarten aide at Abilene, Aug. 23), Clint Smith (from bus driver to substitute bus driver), Claudia Paredes (from 7-hour ESOL aide to 6.5-hour ESOL aide, Sept. 5), Andrea Fairman (from 2-hour lunch aide to 1.5-hour lunch aide at Abilene, Sept. 7) and Sabrina Alley (from 3.5-hour to 6.5-hour administrative assistant at the middle school, Sept. 11).

•Approved facility-use agreements with AYSO and YMCA.

•Accepted gifts from Pathway Church ($500 to each school), Brad Richter ($250 to the cross country team) and Credit Union of America ($100 to the intermediate school).

•Approved the disposal of Wheatland library furniture and turf/track equipment.

•Approved site council memberships for each school.

Roger Joyal was not at the meeting.