13,200 students attend Mat-Su schools

MAT- SU -- More than 13,000 students showed up for classes around the Mat-Su Borough School District last week, and more are expected.

As of Friday, the district's enrollment count was 13,231. This is about 150 students fewer than the district projected, but typically more children continue to show up for classes during the first two months of school.

"I believe we will meet and exceed our enrollment projection," Interim Superintendent Bob Doyle told the Mat-Su school board Wednesday.

So far the district has about 200 students more than last year and, if and when the enrollment reaches 13,400, it will continue the annual 2.5-percent growth trend of recent years. In the past decade, the district has grown by nearly 3,000 students.

Larson Elementary principal Karl Schleich can testify to that growth.

"We are just open and we are full," he said Friday. Heading into its second year, Larson Elementary has once again exceeded its projected enrollment. The district expected 411 children and so far has nearly 440. At this rate, the school is quickly nearing its building capacity of 488.

"And I had to turn away a dozen boundary exemptions because we are just filled up," Schleich said.

Schleich says this is typical of Wasilla-area elementary schools. Tanaina Elementary has 40 more students than the building is designed for, while Iditarod and Pioneer Peak are also nearing their

capacity.

Despite a nearly full Larson building with many new students and a few new teachers as well, Schleich said the first week went smoothly. The school added another Spanish immersion class to its existing program, now offering both kindergarten-first grade and first-second grade classes.

Perhaps just as important to the students, the grass that was off limits last year because it had just been planted at the new school is now open for playing.

In addition to new students and new teachers, a few Mat-Su schools welcomed new principals last week. Former Chugach High School principal Cyd Duffin took over the leadership of Colony High this year and, like Schleich, she said the first week of school was a success.

"The most remarkable thing to me as a new principal is the tremendous showing of support that the staff gives in terms of setting high expectations," Duffin said. When the bell rings, she said all the Colony teachers stand outside their door in the hallway.

"It's saying, 'We're here. We're available to you and we're keeping an eye on you," Duffin said. And in a facility the size of Colony, with more than 1,000 students, she said this adult presence is important.

Other changes have come to Colony this fall, including a slightly different schedule that has moved a tutorial session from first thing in the morning to lunch time. Several days a week, students get a hour-long lunch designed to give them time to make up exams or meet with teachers to get additional help.

"Our kids and our staff are really excited about it," Duffin said.

As schools and their staff continue to settle into their routine, the district will continue to monitor enrollment numbers. Occasionally teachers have to be transferred from one school to another in order to balance the numbers.

"We try to minimize that as much as possible, but there's always that possibility," said Kim Floyd, public information specialist with the district. "We do need to have our student-teacher ratio correct and by moving staff we can fairly balance that ratio."

This year's ratios are 24 students per one teacher at the elementary level, 22 to 1 at middle schools and 25 to 1 at high schools. Floyd pointed out that this is a ratio based on the number of teachers and students in the building at one time but that specific classrooms may have more or fewer students than that goal.