Recommendations due on H.S. attendance areas

BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

The rate of enrollment growth is slowing in the Freehold Regional High School District, according to demographic information reviewed by district administrators at a recent meeting.

After several years in which the six-school district saw increases in its total enrollment of between 500 and 600 students, figures now indicate there will be one more big bump in enrollment before the rate of growth drops to about 100 new students per year.

As of September 2004, the FRHSD’s total enrollment in six schools was about 11,470 students.

At the FRHSD Board of Education’s Aug. 15 meeting, Superintendent of Schools James Wasser continued his review of the latest demographic information that has been provided to the district. Wasser has indicated that administrators may have to adjust school attendance area boundaries in the near future.

No action was taken by the board on Aug. 15.

The latest findings were broken down into the elementary school enrollments for the previous five years and the projections to 2009-10. A second set of figures included the FRHSD enrollments for the previous five years and the projections to 2007-08.

“We can only project out to that number because of the information we received from the elementary schools,” Wasser said. “We’re looking at next year, getting the information from grades four through eight.”

Wasser said the 2005-06 school year will be the last time administrators see an annual increase of between 500 and 600 students in the six schools combined.

“From there on it appears we will see a growth of 100 students [per year] or less,” the superintendent said. “That will keep us, overall, within the capacity of our buildings. However, in saying that, it’s the overall capacity for the entire district.”

Wasser said enrollment adjustments will have to be made within individual schools to accommodate the growth.

“We’re not looking for a massive change” in attendance areas, he said. “We’re looking to tweak the boundary lines that the board currently has in place.”

He said a closer geographic look will be made to see where students grades five through 12 are residing.

Wasser said there are between 100 and 150 students who may be impacted. He said administrators are trying to keep a 25- to 28-student class size, on average, throughout the district.

Wasser said if attendance area lines are moved, he would hope to keep the change in place for at least three years. The change — if such a decision is made — would only impact incoming freshmen in 2006 and the district would maintain its sibling rule, he said.

Wasser said he will make his final recommendations regarding the attendance areas in September.

He noted that consideration may be given to opening a new academy for the 2006-07 school year and said administrators will have to find a place for that program.

The district’s academy programs are centers that are based on a student’s particular career interest, as opposed to the specialized learning centers that require the passage of a qualifying test for admission.

The academies are open to all students in the district, according to Linda Abrams, administrative supervisor for innovative programs - learning centers and academies.

In order for a student to enter an academy, he or she needs a teacher recommendation, an essay and a summary of his or her activities, Jacobs said.

There is an automotive academy at Manalapan High School; an agri-science academy at Freehold Township High School; a culinary arts academy and a computer science academy at Freehold High School; a Junior ROTC academy at Colts Neck High School; and a fine and performing arts academy at Howell High School.

The fine and performing arts academy was previously a specialized learning center.

The FRHSD specialized learning centers are: business at Marlboro High School; science and engineering at Manalapan High School; international studies at Freehold Township High School; medical sciences at Freehold High School; law and public safety, and global language at Colts Neck High School; and humanities at Howell High School.

Wasser said the priority will be to get balanced enrollments among the schools and noted that when a new academy or learning center is created, the enrollment of a school usually grows.

Wasser said Colts Neck High School has had significant growth over the past few years with the Junior ROTC Naval Academy program growing from 50 students when it opened a few years ago to approximately 200 students today.

“It’s one of the highlight programs, not only among the schools in the district, but also on the east coast,” the superintendent said.

Wasser noted that growth in southern Manalapan is having an effect on Freehold Township High School. Several years ago the board shifted attendance area boundaries and made southern Manalapan a sending area to Freehold Township High School instead of to Manalapan High School.

“Because of that shift, Manalapan High School in 2007-08 will have under 2,000 students,” Wasser said. “Within the region there will be a constant shift of boundary lines.”

Referring to geocoding information now available, board member Terry Kraft of Howell said about 85 percent of the students live within 1 mile of Route 9 from Howell up through Manalapan.

“That tells you the major influx of students are really the older communities revitalizing themselves with new people,” Kraft said. “The very large homes (in areas farther away from Route 9) do not have the amount of children that we projected when we first looked at it. We got the larger homes, but we didn’t get the large families out of them. It never materialized. It’s the older communities selling out to young families coming in.”

A copy of the draft document is expected to be online at the FRHSD Internet Web site www.frhsd.com.