CALABASAS : Higher Enrollment Eases Funding Fears

Enrollment in the Las Virgenes Unified School District exceeds projections by 150 students, officials said Monday, bringing the total registered to more than 10,500. The increase has dispelled administrators’ fears that the district would lose state funding due to a low student population.

Last week, when school opened, enrollment appeared low, with 68 fewer students registered than anticipated.

“We were very nervous on that first day of classes, because the first count is usually a good indicator of where we’re going to be,” said Assistant Supt. Donald Zimring.

The district had counted on rising enrollment to help avoid major budget cuts this fiscal year, Zimring said. The district receives $3,197.16 per student, so fewer students would have meant a significant loss in funding, he said.

Now, the district might have to hire more teachers, Zimring said. But officials have not yet decided whether that will be necessary.

It is also not clear whether the higher-than-expected enrollment will allow administrators to keep class sizes at last year’s levels.

“The board has not indicated how they would use any extra money,” Zimring said. “It’s just too early to tell.”

Kindergarten classes on the district’s east side registered some of the steepest rises in enrollment, Zimring said.

Lupin Hill Elementary School in Calabasas had 70 more children than expected, many of whom were in kindergarten, Zimring said.

A similar situation was found at Round Meadow Elementary in Calabasas, which enrolled 30 more students than projected, he said.

The rolls at Yerba Buena Elementary in Agoura Hills were 43 students larger than anticipated, and A. E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas enrolled 70 students more than expected, bringing the student body to more than 1,500, Zimring said.

Enrollment at Agoura and Calabasas high schools was down slightly, he said.