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Editorials
School enrollment continues to climb : Editorials : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisSchool enrollment continues to climb
| 9/6/2012
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As we reported last week enrollment in the Oswego School District continues to climb.
Last week Superintendent Dr. Matthew Wendt told the school district board that 17,739 students had showed up for classes when the new school year began two weeks ago, 178 more than the 17,561 that district officials were expecting.
Wendt added that administrators expect the number of students enrolling will continue to increase this month.
The 17,739 students already enrolled in district schools represent an increase of more than 500 students since last November.
The school district's continued enrollment growth will likely come as a surprise to many school district residents, including parents. Since the outset of the recession in the fall of 2008, a common perception has been that school enrollment growth has stalled since new home construction has all but stopped and many area homes have fallen into foreclosure.
The reality, however, is that many young families purchased new homes in the district prior to the recession and have managed to remain in their homes. Meanwhile, their children have become school age and are now moving through the school system.
Also, home construction has not entirely stopped in the school district. For example, last year the Village of Oswego issued 107 building permits for new homes. New home construction is also continuing at a more modest pace in other municipalities served by the district.
For school district administrators and the school board, the enrollment growth represents a continuing major challenge, especially from a budget standpoint. The district is currently facing a $5.5 million budget deficit. How administrators and the board will attempt to close the district's budget hole while at the same time achieving Board President Bill Walsh's goal of making the district a "world class school system" represents a significant challenge for district officials and the entire community. But as they proceed with those efforts, all of those concerned should remember the district's enrollment growth is indeed continuing.
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