SAND SPRINGS — The Sand Springs Board of Education on Monday was updated about lower enrollment rates impacting school districts across the state and some of the reasons behind it.
“We do know across the state enrollment's down in just about every public school in Oklahoma and across the nation for lots of different reasons, but birth rate is one,” Superintendent Sherry Durkee said. “The choice about different mechanisms by which people can have their students in schools is another. So, we have to consider virtual homeschool, private school, all those elements.”
Durkee said enrollment numbers impact on the school district’s state aid.
“And we know enrollment's down, which as you all are aware is keenly tied to what our state aid factor is and what we receive in money,” Durkee said. “I absolutely hate saying that those numbers reflect revenue and income for the district, but it is true because that income also reflects the services we deliver to our kids.”
Durkee mentioned some school districts are facing budget cuts, in part, due to lower enrollment.
Tulsa Public Schools is considering ways to reduce its financial deficit by at least $12 million.
“A lot of publicity is going on right now about our neighbor to the east having to reduce in anticipation of next year,” Durkee said. “So, we're watching our Ps and Qs. It's too early to design any kind of change in what we're doing going forward. As you know, we have a healthy fund balance. So, we're a great place, but just know (we) are going to keep an eye on just revenue streams as they come in. We added about five positions to our staff this year.”
Durkee added, “And so, if we get to a predicament, we have plenty of room to talk about what might be trimmed and what might stay. So just know, I think it's an ongoing conversation throughout the year, but certainly it's not something we're going to surprise you with at the end of the year to say if there's an issue, we're going to address it. So, I want you to feel confident in our ability to do that.”
Durkee said the school district is looking at student retention for the next school year.
“As you all are very keenly aware, we're facing the idea of retention for next school year, making decisions about third graders of whether they progress to the fourth grade or not,” she said.
With the passage of a new state law, beginning in the 2027-28 school year, if third-grade students scoreatthebelowbasicachievement level on statewide English Language Arts standardized tests or below an “acceptable score” on an alternative test to be approved by the State Board of Education, they will be retained in third grade — unless they meet a good cause exemption. No student would be retained twice in third grade.
The first of three good cause exemptions is students identified as English Language Learners who have had less than two consecutive years of English learner instruction.
Also, students with disabilities who participate in statewide testing and have an individualized education program (IEP) that shows they received intensive literacy intervention for more than two years but still have a reading deficiency, or who were previously retained for one year in kindergarten through third grade and students who have received services for more than two years but still demonstrate a reading deficiency and have been retained in kindergarten through third grade for two years.
To exempt a student, their teacher must submit documentation to the principal, who determines whether promotion is appropriate. The principal makes a recommendation to the superintendent, who ultimately determines whether to accept or reject the recommendation.
Parents of exempt students may still choose to have their child retained. Retained students who transfer to another school must still be retained. Retained students who are withdrawn from public schools to bypass retention are subject to screening upon return to public school to determine the appropriate grade level for re-entry.