MOUNT VERNON — Fewer students in the classroom means more pressure to make every seat count.
Amid declining enrollment across the state, Knox County’s five public school districts are finding new ways to keep students interested and plan for the future.
State data shows that enrollment dropped in Knox County’s public schools dropped by 8.3% percent — likely due to population changes and more educational options for families.
Enrollment declines can lead to decreased state funding and impact a school’s culture.
We asked the superintendents how they are responding to the decline and planning for the future of their school districts.
What strategies is your district using to attract and retain students?
Across the county, superintendents pointed to expanding academic and student opportunities as one way to keep students engaged.
Mount Vernon City Schools Superintendent Bill Seder said the district has had to adjust to a “competitive market” as students have more educational options.
Seder said College Credit Plus, the Knox County Career Center and other postsecondary opportunities can give students additional pathways outside of the traditional high school setting.
These opportunities are particularly beneficial for students who want to join the workforce right out of high school, according to Seder. He said districts must offer similar opportunities if they want to remain competitive.
“We’ve found ourselves needing to provide new and additional pathways for students,” Seder said. “We need to be competitive in that area and try to find more pathways for students to stay within our school environment in our school setting.”
The situation is similar in other districts.
In fact, more than half of Danville’s junior and seniors attend College Credit Plus classes, KCCC, the Knox Technical Center or other programs off campus during the school day, according to Superintendent Jason Snively.
Snively said Danville has worked to expand its own offerings, including STEM and internship courses. However, outside partnerships remain important for students.
“There’s opportunities for all different mindsets and needs of our students here. It just may not be within our walls,” Snively said.
Danville also sees its small-school environment as an advantage when competing for students.
“When (students) come to us for open enrollment, they say we just want a small community to belong to,” Snively said.
Fredericktown has taken a similar approach to expanding options.
Superintendent Gary Chapman pointed to the district’s K-5 STEAM program and Project Lead the Way, which offers both an engineering and biomedical science program at the middle and high school levels.
Chapman said Fredericktown is working to integrate career-tech education into its existing curriculum rather than treating it as something separate.
“We’re able to supplement, enhance what we’re offering with those core academics,” Chapman said.
East Knox has also expanded its course offerings.
“We want to improve the student experience — everything from the academics, the course offerings and the exposure to science and arts,” Superintendent Richard Baird said.
The district now offers engineering at the middle and high school levels, as well as graphic arts and marketing programs.
Those programs are part of a larger effort to improve the student experience, Baird said. The district also emphasizes staff development, community partnerships and student health and wellness.
“We take into consideration our teacher development, our staff development,” Baird said. “The best gift we can give our staff is a way to be successful tomorrow, to learn and grow.”
In Centerburg, Superintendent Ryan Gallwitz said the district is focusing on the youngest students as part of an effort to build a pipeline from preschool into elementary school.
“We’ve really invested in our preschool to funnel those kids right into our elementary school,” Gallwitz said.
The goal, he said, is to establish a strong foundation early in a student’s education and keep families connected to the district as their children progress.
How are you planning for the future?
The districts are taking different approaches to planning for the years ahead, with some preparing for continued decline while others anticipate possible growth.
Mount Vernon sees potential for increased student enrollment as new housing continues to be developed in the district. Seder said the school is using enrollment projections as part of its facility planning.
The district has conducted a 10-year look at enrollment and expects residential growth to increase demands in the schools. New jobs and businesses coming as a result of new housing will also help.
East Knox, meanwhile, is preparing to maintain small class sizes to give students the best experience as enrollment declines.
Baird said the district is specifically seeing this decrease in kindergarten and first grade. If enrollment continues to decrease, the district would allow the size of faculty to shrink through attrition.
“That’ll give us some room to still maintain those class sizes and still do the great things for the students,” Baird said. “They don’t lose programs and they don’t lose their small class sizes.”
Fredericktown is also monitoring younger grades to anticipate future staffing and course needs.
Chapman pointed to the difference between current kindergarten and elementary enrollment and the comparatively larger classes in the upper grades. Administrators will have to consider those smaller classes and how those numbers could affect staffing and course offerings.
“The toughest question for any superintendent or any district right now is how do you prepare for the future with the understanding that you need to take care of what we have right now,” Chapman said.
Centerburg is planning for any possibility as local housing development plans remain up in the air.
Several housing developments have been proposed in the village, but none were approved by the time of Gallwitz’s interview with Knox Pages.
The type of housing built could have a significant effect on the district’s enrollment.
“If they try to build homes that are affordable, then more families will come in. That could lead to a lot higher enrollment for us,” Gallwitz said.
In the meantime, Gallwitz said, the district has looked internally to see where buildings could expand if enrollment grows.
Across the county, Danville is hoping to keep enrollment stable by providing extracurricular opportunities, while also maintaining what the district is celebrated for — its small-school environment.
Snively said the district’s academic programs, extracurricular activities and open enrollment opportunities could help keep enrollment relatively stable.
“As long as we maintain our high academic standards and our high expectations … I don’t think we’re going to see a lot of change in enrollment,” Snively said.
What do you think the public should know?
Despite district differences, the superintendents agree largely on one point: a declining enrollment does not tell the entire story of a school district.
Seder said enrollment is only one measure of a district’s health.
“Just because there’s declining enrollment doesn’t mean that the schools are not doing well or meeting the needs of families today,” Seder said.
Seder said schools are being asked to provide more services even as they serve fewer students.
That focus on students, rather than enrollment numbers, is shared by East Knox.
Baird said the number of students in the district won’t change the strategic plan. East Knox will remain focused on its existing students, regardless of whether enrollment grows or declines.
“You can’t worry about how many people you have or how few people you have. You have to worry about the people that you have and continue to take care of them,” Baird said.
For Centerburg, the issue goes beyond the number of students in the classroom.
Gallwitz said declining enrollment doesn’t necessarily mean families are leaving public education in droves.
Instead, he pointed to the broader demographic trend: fewer children are being born. Gallwitz said the cost of housing, health care and other expenses can make it difficult for younger families to afford children.
“Nobody can afford to have kids … it is so difficult for young families to buy a home and have kids … I’ve watched my own children struggle with that and they have great jobs. It’s really difficult right now for young families,” Gallwitz said.
Fredericktown’s Chapman also sees family decisions as an important part of the equation.
He said whether families choose public school or not comes down the perception of how their child feels when they come home.
“Did your child come home today and did they have a good day? What are they talking about when they come home?” Chapman said.
Families can choose between traditional public schools, homeschooling, online education and other options, Chapman said, making the student experience an important part of how districts retain students.
“They are judging us and they’re challenging us to provide that type of experience, and if we don’t do that, they have options. That’s a motivator for us internally,” Chapman said.
For Danville, that community connection is especially important.
Snively said schools are a foundation for the communities they serve and that residents should understand the broader role a district plays beyond education.
“If they value their community, they first have to value their school,” Snively said.
While districts cannot control declining enrollment, the superintendents said they can control how they respond.
For Knox County’s public schools, that means expanding opportunities and continuing to focus on students already in the classroom.
As enrollment patterns continue to change, the challenge for districts may not simply be how to increase numbers, but how to remain strong and relevant to the families they serve.
