Anaheim : High School Enrollment Ends 15-Year Decline

The Anaheim Union High School District, which has been plagued by financial problems because of more than a decade of declining student enrollment, has reversed that trend this school year.

Supt. Cynthia Grennan said attendance a few weeks after the new school year began has climbed to 19,555, 309 more than had been projected.

“That’s the first time we’ve seen any growth in more than 15 years,” she said.

The district faced its first-ever teacher strike in May, when about 70% of its teaching staff, upset about salary contract talks, stayed away from their jobs for a day.

The district maintained that it could not grant teachers the pay increases they were seeking because declining enrollment had eroded their finances.

Now, however, Grennan said the small student increase will require hiring more teachers. Interviews are under way, Grennan said, and classes will be fully staffed within the next few weeks.