The St. Landry Parish School District is reporting a small bump in student enrollment this month, though leaders say losses to private and charter schools continue to impact funding.
Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dwanetta Scott shared the latest numbers during Tuesday’s school board meeting.
As of this month, the district’s total enrollment stands at 11,110 students — an increase of 56 compared to August’s report of 11,054. The district’s Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) count — which determines state funding — also grew slightly, from 10,621 last month to 10,641.
That increase means roughly half a million dollars more in state funding for the district.
“That equates to a substantial amount of money we can use towards our budget,” said District 4 School Board Member Raymond Cassimere.
Still, Scott noted that while the numbers show a positive uptick, the district continues to face significant losses from student transfers:
565 students have transferred out of the district to schools elsewhere.
107 students moved out of state.
77 students transferred to parochial or private schools.
67 students entered home study programs.
65 students transferred to J.S. Clark Leadership Academy.
73 students transferred to St. Landry Charter School.
Within the parish, charter schools are drawing even more students. Helix Academy has enrolled 269 new students since last month, while 17 transferred to Ecole St. Landry, adding to a total of 796 transfers within the district. Helix now has 473 students enrolled, representing about $4 million in state funding the district will miss out on.
“The charter schools are here to stay. They bring diversity to our parish, but they pose a new challenge for the public school system,” Cassimere said. He added that the board must look at new ways to make up for funding shortages.
Despite the concerns, Cassimere said he remains optimistic.
“I trust in the board and the superintendent that we will get this problem resolved.”
The district is also working to resolve inaccuracies in withdrawal reporting. Scott explained that some students initially coded as “no-shows” later turned out to be enrolled elsewhere. As of this month, there are 188 students still listed as no-shows, down from August’s report.
In total, 1,839 students have been coded as withdrawals since the start of the school year — an increase of 153 from last month. However, Scott stressed that not all of those represent permanent losses, since many are simply re-enrolled elsewhere.
When asked whether the district could be forced to close schools due to enrollment declines, Cassimere said difficult conversations may be ahead.
“We have to be strategic. It’s never a good thing to close schools, and I’m not an advocate for that. But we can’t operate the way we are now — some changes will have to come.”
The district plans to host a retreat in October to discuss its fiances.
