Douglas county schools | Declining enrollments

Douglas County school superintendents blame a poor economy for declining enrollment, which translates into less state funding. They are planning for more spending reductions while hoping state legislators won't make matters worse by cutting education funding.

“I'm an optimist,” Glide School District Superintendent Don Schrader said. School officials say the lack of jobs is forcing families with school-age children to leave the county. Even school districts that are seeing a bump in enrollment say they will be conservative when planning budgets for next year.

Douglas County schools receive between $5,000 to $6,000 per student. Some school districts report enrollment drops deep enough over the past several years to cause significant revenue losses.

The South Umpqua School District has lost more than 250 students, some 14 percent of its enrollment, since 2006. The Roseburg School District has lost about 700 students, about 10 percent of its student body, over the same period.

Roseburg Superintendent Larry Parsons said the district has 40 fewer students this year than it expected. Enrollment is up by 46 kids in the Elkton School District, Superintendent Mike Hughes said.

Why do private schools need more money?
This letter was published in the Dec. 19 edition. I want to attend a religious private school next year. Some private schools separate boys and girls, which can improve studies and self-esteem.

I agree with the vouchers for the Douglas County School District. Well, we have a choice here in Douglas County such as charter schools and Christian schools. Our school district recently went through major cuts in the budget, which impacted all students in Douglas County Schools. I am proud to be going to Douglas County schools, but I feel that the school district should concentrate on keeping our schools healthy and supporting our teachers

Douglas County is examining starting a voucher program. By starting a voucher program I think more students will move to private schools. This would cause our public schools to lose even more money. No other school district in Colorado has a voucher program.

I enjoyed the Denver Post editorial concerning the proposed Douglas County School District voucher program (“Why not talk about vouchers?” Douglas County is considering a voucher program for students to be able to attend private religious schools.