County classrooms still filling up

By Eric Stevick

Herald Writer

Enrollment continues to rise in most public school districts across Snohomish County, increasing by more than 1,200 students from last fall and 6,000 from 1998.

There are 106,360 students in classrooms this fall, compared with 105,063 a year ago, according to October enrollment figures filed with Washington state.

In general, the most dramatic growth continues to be north and east of Everett, where land is more available and housing prices are often cheaper.

The Monroe School District, for instance, has added more than 1,000 students in the past four years.

The influx hasn’t escaped the notice of Bill Prenevost, the Monroe superintendent who has watched blueberry fields become homes and apartment complexes since he landed a job as a science teacher in 1969. At the time, there were about 1,800 students in the district. By 1998, there were 4,957; this fall, 6,057.

Prenevost expects "continued growth at a less hectic pace."

"We are OK in the eighth through 12th grades," he said. "Where we are getting real tight is in the elementary grades."

In Arlington, where enrollment has increased by 600 in the last four years, a fifth elementary school is expected to open next fall, and a new and larger high school in fall 2003.

"We do feel like we have positioned ourselves so we can accommodate the growth," said Rob Pattermann, an assistant superintendent.

However, space is tight in the interim.

Kent Prairie Elementary School in the south end of the district has had to send its sixth-graders to portables at Post Middle School. Kent Prairie was built for 600 students, but it would have more than 900 if it didn’t transport students elsewhere.

Arlington High School has 17 portables, and freshmen arrive at school 90 minutes after upperclassmen to stagger the schedule and provide more seat time.

Districts across the county have experienced enrollment increases over the past decade. They are part of a national "echo boom," the children of baby boomers, the post-World War II generation of 75 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964.

Declining dropout rates and increasing immigration also figure into enrollment trends. For instance, the number of students in Snohomish County listed as bilingual has increased from 2,346 in 1998 to 4,036 this fall.

Western Washington’s strong economy has also been a contributor to school district growth. However, with the Boeing Co. poised to lay off thousands of workers, some districts will be reconsidering how they project student growth.

"We have talked about what kind of ramifications it might have to enrollment, but it’s far too early to tell," said Andy Muntz, a spokesman for the Mukilteo School District, which encompasses Boeing’s Everett plant.

Projecting enrollment accurately is serious business for school districts, which receive money from the state on a per-pupil basis but must sign contracts with teachers each May. It’s a high-stakes exercise that can spell financial trouble the following school year if the number of students falls short of projections.

Some large school districts with less available land to build on are experiencing smaller growth, and in some cases a leveling off or slight decline. Attendance in the Edmonds School District remained nearly the same, up 10 students from last fall.

You can call Herald Writer Eric Stevick at 425-339-3446

or send e-mail to stevick@heraldnet.com.

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