Student Enrollment Exceeds Expectations

Figures provided by the District confirm that the student enrollment exceeds the District’s expectations for 2019-20.

In its 2019-20 Budget, Sac City projected that its student enrollment in its “district regular” schools would be 40,235. The District confirmed that its actual enrollment as of September 12, 2019 is 40,455, or 220 students higher than projections.

In addition to “district regular” schools, the District also under-projected the enrollment in in-district, dependent charter schools. In its 2019-20 budget, the District projects its enrollment in these schools at 1785 students. The actual enrollment numbers according to documents provided by the District in these schools as of September 12, 2019 was 1841, or 56 students higher than projected.

Added together, the District’s actual enrollment as of September 12th is 276 students higher than projected.

What Do the Higher Enrollment Numbers Mean?

The Layoffs Were Unwarranted:Most importantly, the numbers confirm that the layoffs were unwarranted. We are unaware of any school district in the entire State of California that laid off certificated staff like Sac City did in the midst of a national teacher shortage. There is a direct correlation between the layoffs this Spring and the more than 100 vacancies that currently exist in the District, and recently reported on in the Sacramento Bee.

In real terms, more than 3000 students are directly impacted by these vacancies.

CK McClatchy students discuss the impact of subs in this video created by the Sacramento Bee.

There is No Budget Crisis: The higher enrollment numbers also means the District’s budget will continue to improve. Conservatively, the additional 276 students should result in an additional $3.1 million in increased LCFF funding in 2020-21 and an additional $3.2 million in 2021-22, for a total of $6.3 million.

The increased revenue that will result from higher student enrollment follows the District’s recent announcement that it broke even last year (even after the Superintendent told CBS National News in April 2019 that the District would have a $35 million deficit, which you can view here).

In short, the District’s revenues are at an all-time high. With our new salary schedule and the great benefits, Sac City should be leading the way in recruiting and retaining educators who reflect the diversity of our students.