Enrollment down at Decorah Schools

The certified enrollment figures are in, and the Decorah schools experienced an unanticipated decline, down 42.2 for certified enrollment and 45.5 for total enrollment. Superintendent Mike Haluska said the certified enrollment of 1393.6 had declined to the 2008-9 level. He said there were surprises when anticipated students did not actually move in to the district, and that about 10 students were gone due to parents being on sabbatical.

Haluska believes that this downturn may just be an anomaly, and that with high anticipated kindergarten numbers next year, things could return to status quo. But he said that modifications would have to be made in staffing for next year. However, he added that he was not ready to make drastic decisions until clearer trends were established.