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News
School enrollment continues to grow : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisSchool enrollment continues to grow
| 17,739 in class, still more expected superintendent tells board
| by Lyle R. Rolfe
| 8/30/2012
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When Oswego School District administrators were preparing their preliminary budget for the new school year this summer, they estimated this year's student enrollments to be 17,561.
But Superintendent Dr. Matthew Wendt told school board members Monday night the enrollment has already passed that estimate and the district has 17,739 students, with still more expected to register.
Wendt said the budget will be changed to include the additional students before it is submitted to the board for final approval in September.
"I know there were some questions about the number of faculty and staff that we have been authorized to hire," he said, adding that the enrollment will continue to increase through this week.
"Frankly, we see no evidence of it slowing down through the Labor Day weekend and even into September," he added.
Wendt said they will have an official enrollment count on the tenth day of school, but wanted the board to be aware of the increased numbers as of Monday.
He said they now have an average class size of 23 in math and language arts classes in the five junior highs. He said Murphy Junior High at 26923 West Grande Park Boulevard, Plainfield, opened this past week which helped lower the average at the district's four junior high schools.
"There are some highs and lows," he said, noting that the average language arts class at Thompson Junior High, 440 Boulder Hill Pass, Oswego, is 29.
"So we're seeing some 25, 26, and 27 student classes while there are some 21 and 22 student classes at Murphy," he said.
The biggest increase in students at Murphy, he added, should come within the next 24 months.
Wendt said there are some areas in the junior highs they will have to monitor. He added they should not expect to see class sizes of 14 to 16 in the core areas of math or language arts at the junior highs.
There are classes this small, but they are in industrial arts, drama and some art classes, he noted.
Wendt said there also is enrollment growth in the elementary schools.
In fourth grade at Homestead, 2830 Hillsboro Boulevard, Aurora, and fifth grade at Churchill at 520 Secretariat Lane, Oswego, they have class sizes of 30 and 33, he said.
"We have average class sizes of 29 in classrooms across the district," he added. They include second grade at Homestead, and fifth grade at Southbury at 820 Preston Lane, Oswego, Wolf's Crossing at 3015 Heggs Road, Aurora, and Fox Chase at 260 Fox Chase Drive North, Oswego.
"And what I'm seeing is a whole slew of 26, 27 and 28 student classrooms. So as enrollments increase, we should anticipate the average in those classes to increase as well," he said.
Wendt said they need to discuss how to handle the classes in the 30s.
"There are districts that would consider hiring more teachers and there are districts that would consider taking new students and placing them elsewhere in the district. My philosophy is that we would need to discuss this before moving forward.
"My message tonight is that we have a lot of kids and we're growing," Wendt said. "And isn't that great that we're a magnet to parents."
Wendt noted that the district has challenges, hurdles and barriers, "...but overall isn't this a great place to be. Our issue is growth and it's not going to slow down," he said.
The 17,739 students now enrolled in district schools represent an increase of over 500 students since last November. At an intergovernmental meeting held at Oswego Village Hall that month, then-Superintendent Dr. Dan O'Donnell told area officials that the district's enrollment at that time was just over 17,200 students.
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