The Pattonville School Board recently released its Big Picture Report, offering insight into how staffing and enrollment projections look for the Pattonville district over the next few years.

Student enrollment, according to the report, is projected to increase for the 2013-14 school year by approximately 79 students overall, including the addition of 117 elementary students and seven middle school students, as well as the loss of 45 high school students.

Class size is expected to remain satisfactory for elementary schoolers, especially considering eight classrooms are projected to be below the district’s desirable ratio. 

Several elementary classrooms in the district have been marked as “hot spots,” meaning they are near or beyond the ideal class size capacity. These include two classes at Bridgeway Elementary, including a kindergarten and a fourth grade class, second grade classes at Drummond, Parkwood and Rose Acres, and a fifth grade class at Willow Brook.

“Pattonville typically has 10 to 20 teachers who leave their positions at the end of each school year,” Nelson said. “Reasons for leaving include retirement, relocation, pursuing other job opportunities, etc.”

He added that there were also 43 teachers hired on one-year contracts for the 2012-13 school year.

Assistant Superintendent Barry Nelson said the district also plans to give more attention to identifying Pattonville kindergarteners due to attend in Aug. 2013.

Other findings include:

Closing of Briar Crest Leads to “Staffing Efficiencies”

The closing of Briar Crest Elementary is saving the district more than cash, according to the memo, which noted that 124 core elementary classroom teachers will be needed for the next school year.

“Had Briar Crest not closed, this number would have increased to a minimum of 130 core elementary classroom teachers,” said Assistant Superintendent Barry Nelson. “Closing Briar Crest led to staffing efficiencies that allowed us to accommodate 117 more elementary students without increasing the number of classroom teachers.”

Strength in Diversity

The district has a diverse population, with nearly half of the students enrolled being part of minority groups, including Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indian and Multi-Racial groups representing more than 54 countries, according to the report.

Get specifics and download the full report directly from the district's website. Share your thoughts in the comments section, below.