MARYSVILLE – Enrollment in the Marysville School District has recovered to the point that more teachers will soon be hired.
It’s a stark contrast to budget predictions last spring when the financially troubled district laid off 51 teachers for this fall.
Fourth-day enrollment – a state requirement for districts across Washington – shows Marysville’s student count reached 10,754 last week.
By contrast, there were 10,596 students on the fourth-day count last year when school was delayed until Oct. 22 because of a state-record 49-day teachers strike. Average daily enrollment last year ended at 10,647.
“We will continue looking at these numbers and figure out what they mean in terms of going forward,” Superintendent Larry Nyland said Monday.
Nyland said he does not know how many teachers will be hired. That decision will be made in the next few days after consulting with individual schools.
“We will open the positions by Monday,” he said.
The Marysville School Board last month approved an $83.5 million budget that planned for the worst – the loss of another 200 students. The district had lost more than 400 the two previous years.
By state law, districts must let teachers know by May 15 each year if they will have a contract the following fall.
The conservative enrollment estimate for this fall also took into consideration the sluggish job market and lingering effects from the strike.
Enrollment drives staffing. Schools receive on average $5,200 per full-time student from the state for basic education.
Marysville started school this fall with more than 40 fewer positions than a year ago. Of the 51 layoffs, all have been rehired or indicated they have found a job elsewhere, Nyland said.
With enrollment showing an upward swing, the district is beginning to explore whether to ask voters to approve a bond measure for school construction.
Marysville now uses 113 portable classrooms and has one of the largest high schools in the state.
There are more than 1,600 potential homes in the pipeline, ranging from early preliminary plat applications to homes under construction and opening in neighborhoods around Sunnyside Elementary School, Nyland said.
“It’s looking like the enrollment trend will be moving upward again,” Nyland said.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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