CC/E enrollment certified at 61

Clay Central/Everly's certified enrollment declined six students from 2020-21, but Superintendent Kevin Wood is hoping the district's preschool program will help bolster numbers in the future.

Wood reported to the school board on Oct. 27 that CC/E's certified enrollment was down from 67 last year to 61 this year. However, that figure doesn't include the preschool class, which brings the total number of students in Royal to 72.

CC/E was able to offer full-time preschool this year thanks to pandemic-related emergency funds. Wood hoped preschool numbers would stay strong in the future to feed grades K-6.

"We have a very good number in our pre-K and that will start to impact numbers as those kids get into our certified enrollment bracket," Wood said. "If we keep consistent numbers at that preschool level and keep those numbers coming through, we're going to be OK. Anywhere between 8-12 students per grade is pretty good for us."

The number of students in all grades residing inside the CC/E district was down from 314 last year to 294 this year. Students in grades 7-12 either attend school in Spencer or other districts, as CC/E stopped offering those grades after 2019 due to dwindling enrollment numbers.

On a related topic, Wood updated the board on the health of CC/E's unspent balance.

Unspent balance, formally known as unspent budget authority, is the amount of unused district general fund capacity to spend on behalf of students, or spending authority, left over at the end of the fiscal year. It is the most telling financial indicator school district leaders count on to inform expenditure decisions.

Wood said CC/E's number was "fairly decent." It has trended upward over the past two years and is expected to grow from $1,151,381 in FY21 to $1,635,186 in FY22. Wood anticipated it would hit the $1.8-$1.9 million range the following fiscal year.

"We're sitting pretty good," he said, noting enrollment is the biggest factor moving forward. "That number is going to continue to grow, hopefully, so we can stay steady with that unspent balance."