Compared to many of our colleagues around the state, Hudson is in somewhat of a unique situation. Where many of our neighbors are experiencing drops in enrollment, that does not appear to be the case here. Granted, while our residential or certified enrollment count is down a smidge, the overall headcount is up just enough to overcome the residential decrease. Admittedly, we had anticipated a larger increase in our enrollment this year. Even so, the trend continues to point in an upward direction and our projections suggest increases for the 2026-2027 school year.
Enrollment is mostly growing from the 'bottom up', starting with the kindergarten class in the 2022-2023 school year when we added a fourth section to that grade level. Tactically, each succeeding year we have simply added a section as that grade level has matriculated, while the grade levels below them have continued to be sustained and staffed with four sections. We are now preparing for that grade level to move to the fourth grade next year, and again planning to add the accompanying section. A lot of what we have done to this point have been tactical decisions, in other words short term specific actions that provide the most flexibility.
At the same time, we are considering long term strategic planning. Think about this. Adding a section a year based on enrollment numbers at a particular grade level is a pretty straightforward decision. If you have 70+ students in an elementary grade level, it can either be staffed with three sections in low to mid twenties, or four sections of 17/18. Tactically, we have elected to go with 4 sections with the understanding that if the numbers are 'on the bubble' and the budget doesn't support those sections, we can simply forego making that hiring decision. If that happens over the course of a couple of years, perhaps it may become necessary to scale the faculty back by a position. Tactical. The trouble with tactical decision making is that unforeseen issues can kind of sneak up on you. For example, were you aware that our enrollment has increased over 120 students since 2021? That's an almost 14% increase! And, as I mentioned that trend appears to continue rising. Sure, it may slow but up is still up.
That's why we have been engaged in strategic planning for well over a year now. Thinking about staffing needs long term and what positions, both for direct instruction and support may be needed down the road. Or, what structures need to be in place now to support this growth in enrollment? When we hire teachers for our classrooms, there needs to be a solid foundational system that supports them now, and is nimble and flexible enough to support future growth. Case in point: we hired a middle school principal this year. It was evident the number of students and teachers being served by current building administrators was not manageable. Furthermore, as staff continue to be added and those students matriculate to middle school they need a champion in their corner.
But that is not the only strategic decision that we will make, or even need to contemplate in the coming months and years. You see, as our enrollment growth continues it will require much more than a section at a grade level. Those are needs that you can see with your own eyes. It is also about the number of staff we have in the music department. The special education program. Art department. Counseling. Whenever I am blessed with the opportunity to visit with employees one on one, I ask the question: what do you need? Their answer in one form or another is usually: help.
Therein lies the challenge. Hiring an additional teacher can be accomplished without too much pain fiscally. Particularly when you have 80 students and are trying to determine whether or not you want class sizes of 20 or 27. This task becomes much more complicated when the math isn't quite so quantifiable. Compound it further when you must determine whether or not space limitations are part of the calculus (they are in our case).
Then, there is the reality of funding for Iowa Schools. Now, that really isn't the point of today's column, but when the rate in which per pupil funding grows in Iowa doesn't even keep up with the cost of inflation it only exacerbates the underlying issues. Even with static enrollment, costs are going to continue to rise. If employees aren't going to see wage increases that are competitive they will leave. A hard to fill position like some of the supporting roles mentioned above will practically guarantee turnover at a rate that makes the ability to sustain and grow some of these programs all but impossible.
With that, we'll stop for today. Next week we'll dive a bit deeper into the strategy. Answers may be elusive, but the first step is identifying the problem and the barriers while considering the strategic decisions that are being contemplated.
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