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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 3, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 3, 2020
 
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Enrollment dropping in By Gordon Weeks gordon@masoncounty. com Sixty students left the Shelton School District in September and Octo- ber, and district officials are concerned a further large exodus will force them to return money to the state' in Janu- ary. Starting the school year exclusively online in September, the district had 4,217 students in its eight schools. The district budgeted the school year for 4,125 students. On Nov. 1, enrollment was down to 4,160 —'and in the past five years, the district has experienced steadily decreasing enrollment until the end of the school year in June. The state pays the district about $8,000 per student. The average en- rollment from September through January will determine if the district receives more state money, or pays some back. District finance director Brenda Trogstad and Superintendent Alex Apostle outlined the challenge at the Shelton School Board’s regular meet- ing conducted Nov. 24 via Zoom. Apos- tle said the two discuss the budget to- gether every day. “We’re not the only school district in the state not meeting the projected enrollment,” Apostle said. “I hope the federal government and the state realize we are suffering for various reasons in terms of maintain- ing our enrollment,” he added. Apostle said president-elect Joseph Biden has indicated the federal gov- ernment will help schools. “All school districts are losing mon- ey because enrollment is declining,” he said. Trogstad displayed a graph that charted the district’s month-by—month student population for the past five years and two months. Enrollment typically rises from September to Oc- tober, and then begins a steady decline the rest of the school years. Trogstad pointed to the sharp plum- met last March. “This is where the COVID hit and we shut down,” Trogstad said. Some of the students have dropped out, others have, moved away after parents lost jobs. At the beginning of the school year, the departures came from all grades — now most of them are high school students, Trogstad said. The superintendent said the dis— trict will share the information on the Shelton district schools district’s website on whether students dropped out or moved away. Shelton community forum tonight The Shelton School District hosts an open communityforum from 6 to 8 tonight via Zoom. The session is conducted in English from 6 to 7 pm. and in Spanish from 7 to 8 pm. The agenda includes information about the budget for the current school year. The Zoom meeting link is available on the district’s website. Native American parents advisory meeting Monday The Shelton School District’s Na- tive American Education Program Parent Advisory Group hosts a meet- ing via Zoom from 5:30 to 7 pm. Monday. The Zoom address is available on the school district’s website. For more information, contact Kelly Neely, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction and state and federal programs, at 360-426- 1687. Shelton Schools survey on health care clinics The Shelton School District seeks your comments as it explores the pos- sibility of placing a health care clinic on school grounds. The clinics, called school-based health care centers, increase student access to health care services such as routine wellness visits, sports physi- cals, mental health care, sick visits and prescription medication. A survey on the proposal takes about 10 minutes. Responses will be accepted until Dec. 18. The survey is at plu.az1.qualtrics. com/jfe/form/SV_82rV6Br4chqG9v. Cedar: ‘built of collaboration’ continued from page A-1 Anderson said Cedar is different than CHOICE High School, where students have individual programs. “CHOICE is more of a true alterna- tive program Cedar is more built of collabbration,” she said. The school’s inaugural students include ninth-graders from Shelton and incoming freshman from Pioneer, Southside and Hood Canal school dis- tricts. Former Shelton and CHOICE High students also signed up. These students want a small student body and the ability to to work on authentic community projects, such as solving homelessness, Anderson said. “They are creative thinkers they like to look at things in a holistic view, ‘ how things connect in the world,” An- derson said. Mike Kuhn taught at CHOICE High School for 20 years before joining the Cedar staff this fall. He teaches language arts and social studies, and advises seniors. Kuhn said he is one of three Cedar teachers working in the building. He has poor internet reception at home. Some of Kuhns’ students don’t have ,a work place at home and are lying on their beds with laptops. “I have had students fall asleep in class They will disappear,” he said. “When you’re that close to the pillow, it’s easy to lose focus.” But some Cedar students, particu- larly juniors and seniors, are excelling, Kuhns said. “They’ve got the ability to work ahead, on their own schedule,” he said. Kuhns said he is more concerned about the freshmen and sophomores, who might not. understand the im- portance to completing credits toward graduation. ' “The challenge to me is that I don’t get to see my students,” he said. The district continues to look for a second site for the Cedar High School programs, Anderson said. AVAILABLE (o.a.c.) 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