To the editor:

For a number of reasons, our school population has over the last decade shrunk from about 2,400 to around 1,600 students in District 206. Yes, roughly a one-third drop. The economics of raising a young family here is an obvious factor. Various private schools and home schooling have had some success in drawing students, too. The prognosis for the size of the future student population, while it is not written in concrete, is a reasonably knowable figure.

We know how many students are in each grade; there are about HALF as many students entering our system in the early years as are leaving at the end of high school. No one is going to build a 200-house subdivision on the South End in the foreseeable future, so a continuing decline in enrollment is close to a certainty. The district does not dispute that we are going to continue to shrink significantly in school population; in fact, that is their projection.

Most voters know that the overwhelming source of daily funding for our schools is head count. More students, more money from the state. Fewer students, less money to the tune of about $8,000 per student.

As in probably every district, we are in a long-term financial struggle; witness the $10 million deferred maintenance needs at South Whidbey High School alone.

The school board and the administration are more aware of the implications of these figures than you and I. In their bond requests this spring, I hope they will act accordingly. If we moved the middle school students to SWHS next fall instead of at some nebulous future date, we could save a huge chunk of money that could be put toward enhanced education and the retention of teachers.

Building a larger middle/high school complex during declining enrollment when the current facility was built for more students than the current combined middle/high population may serve some adults. I don’t believe it is in the best interests of this community’s children. Please consider placing the sixth-graders in a K-6 program and allow the seventh- and eighth-graders to have occasional contact with their brothers and sisters in the upper grades. The academic and role-model benefits to all middle school students may surprise you.

Jamie McNett

Clinton