Mt. Pleasant ‘weighted’ enrollment down; revenue drop seen next year

MT. PLEASANT - Like its certified enrollment, Mt. Pleasant Community School District's weighted enrollment has dipped over the last several years.

In his report to the school board on Monday, Superintendent John Henriksen shared the district's weighted enrollment from the most recent three school years. He explained districts received extra funding for special education students who need extra services. Depending on the level of services needed, the weighting increases. The weightings are broken into three levels: 1.72, 2,21 and 3.74.

In the 2020-2021 school year, Mt. Pleasant has 159 students with the 1.72 weighting, 77 students in the 2.21 weighting and 21 students in the 3.74 weighting. Although the district saw an increase in students in the first two weighting classes, its overall additional weighting is down to 260.82 from 267.54 the previous school year and 268.82 in the 2018-2019 school year. The lowered weighting mean the district will receive less funding from the state.

Following his update on weighted enrollment, Henriksen began discussions about what budget and funding may look in fiscal year 2022. The superintendent noted the only ways school funding goes up is through two factors: enrollment and state supplemental aid.

State supplemental aid, which is determined by the state Legislature, can vary year to year. As for enrollment, Henriksen noted the district most recently saw a 44 student drop and has generally seen a trend of declining enrollment.

District Director of Business and Finance Ed Chabal shared calculations based on projections. Chabal noted the district has seen an overall decrease of 95 students across five years, averaging about 15 students per year. The district also has seen an increase of students open enrolling out of the district with the number rising from 63 in 2015 to 96 in 2019, while the number of students open-enrolling into the district has remained at about 130.

With the state supplemental aid not yet determined, Chabal's calculations were based on what future enrollment may look like. If the downward trend in enrollment continues, the district would see a 1.32 percent decrease in new money, a loss of about $178,793 in funding, in fiscal year 2023.

Henriksen said he hoped showing the board these figures would help them understand what budgets may look like in the coming years.

'As we look forward, we want to make sure that we're doing a good job of planning. And we want to be able to increase revenue if we can … we need to also look at how we control our expenditures,” he said.

The superintendent added the finance committee had discussed early retirement incentives as a possible financial adjustment moving forward. The district intends to do an anonymous survey with faculty and staff to gage the interest of employees.

During the meeting, the board approved a consortium agreement with Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency for remote learning through Edgenuity. Through the consortium, the district would save approximately $200 per student for the learning program. Henriksen clarified the district would be paying for classes students are taking, and the district does not have to purchase seats for students.