In September, I wrote about the subject of rising student enrollment and the potential impact this trend will have on our schools in the years to come. A report to the board of education in September focused on the elementary schools. Last week, a follow-up presentation provided a comprehensive picture of secondary enrollment trends, particularly at the middle school.

Once again, I began the presentation by reviewing a timeline which started in 1992, when planning for the recently completed Long-Term Building Improvement Plan began. The significance of the timeline is that our current kindergartners had not yet been born in 1992. Predicting enrollments beyond a period of five years is little more than guesswork because no one knows what the birth rate will be for children not yet born! While the building plan successfully addressed facilities needs at the elementary level for this decade, it was impossible to foresee at that time just how quickly our student population would grow in subsequent years.

Jack Palmadesso, principal of the Roslyn Middle School, spoke about the review of the building's facilities which have been under way in recent months. An architectural walk-through was made, a careful analysis of classroom space was undertaken and consideration of various modification options are now under study. Assistant Principal Gloria Robertson reviewed the percentage of utilization of the building's instructional spaces. The most pressing need in the next few years will be in science, where labs are being used at 84 percent of capacity. The cafeteria is also being utilized at a very high capacity. In addition, Mr. Palmadesso outlined other facilities issues, including the need for small instructional spaces, the enhancement of department areas and increased storage.

A review of enrollment projections by Administrator for Business Affairs Pam Gluckin revealed that the school is poised to experience significant enrollment increases in the next five years, with a third more students in the building than there are today. Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds Tom Galinski provided details of how additional science labs could be created from existing spaces and provided some preliminary cost estimates for the labs as well as the other facilities items reviewed by Mr. Palmadesso. Much of the work could be done by the district's own maintenance staff.

A review of the enrollment history of Roslyn High School presented by Director of Community Relations Barry Edelson indicates that the school, at its peak in 1968-69, had 1562 students. The building has undergone significant renovations since that time, the most extensive of them completed around 1970 when the wing was added that now houses Adult Education. Enrollment declined annually until the early 1990s and had been steady at slightly under 800 students through most of this decade. In 1998-99, enrollment has begun to increase slightly and has reached 821 students.

Significant program changes in recent decades in areas such as special education and computer technology have significantly altered the patterns of room utilization. Nevertheless, a review of the building's utilization, presented by Marilyn Silverman, assistant superintendent for curriculum and Instruction, indicates that the building has sufficient space for the high school program for many years to come. In the next five-year period, enrollment is projected to rise only modestly.

In summary, enrollment continues to grow throughout the district, with significant increases expected at the middle school within the next five years. Relatively little impact is anticipated at the high school. Consequently, some facilities modifications will be needed at the middle school in the short-term, but no modifications are anticipated at the high school. As I reminded the board, we always want to be one or two years ahead in our anticipation of facilities needs so we never suddenly find ourselves with insufficient space.

As in September, the presentation was informational and no decisions were made at the meeting. I will be making more specific recommendations to the board of education in January regarding facilities changes at both the elementary and middle school levels, and will continue to provide updates about this ongoing issue.