The Westbury School District board of education approved a $5,000 proposal from LBishop Associates, Inc. to provide a demographic study to project student growth over the next 10 years.
LBishop Associates did a similar study for the school district in 2013-14 and will once again do demographic analysis, enrollment projects, space requirements and school facility inventory and evaluation, and more.
“This is an update, so we can see what the projections will be for the next few years based on our numbers now,” said Superintendent Dr. Mary Lagnado. “They look at our enrollment and compare it to what the projections were and look at housing patterns, birth rates and anything else that would affect student enrollment.”
The projections from the last study were correct, with the actual enrollment falling on the average to high end of what LBishop predicted.
“Enrollment continues to increase about 2 to 3 percent a year,” Lagnado said. “We’re seeing the largest increase on the secondary level, it’s most significant at the high school.”
As of November 2016, the high school enrollment was 1,641, an increase from 1,502 students one year ago. The district added 15 new full time teachers to the high school to accommodate the growing student population, which has put affected almost all aspects of student life, including transportation, class size and overcrowded lunch rooms.
Lagnado said the study will help the board and administration determine what they need to do in terms of classroom space and additional personnel and staffing.
“We’re ultimately hoping to make sure we have adequate personnel and classroom space,” Lagnado said. “Our biggest concern is class space. As we’re seeing we have a need, we want to make sure we’re making the right decisions.”
With the continually growing enrollment, the board is seriously considering going to a split schedule or portables. However, Lagnado noted building out portables would take at least 16 weeks for state education approval alone. Another short-term option the board is considering is renting another building.
“We’re one of the few districts in Nassau County seeing this continued growth. It has put a strain on the [buildings],” Lagnado said. “We’re looking for the best solution for students, parents and the community.”
