It has become a reality. Even in the larger Wayne County School Districts, student populations are dropping. Gone are the baby-boomer and millennium generations that saw spikes in student enrollment and a building construction.
The U.S. population is projected to peak in 2080, then start declining, according to analysis by the US Census Bureau.
That drop is already occurring in many cities and rural populations, with Wayne County now facing the same pressures, as families become smaller. The only caveat is the migration factor that may partially forestall the inevitable drop in school district numbers.
Experts look at three major factors when predicting population growth: births, deaths and immigration.
For years, demographers have pointed out that the US population growth rate is slowing as birth rates decline. When that’s happened in the past, immigration has made up the difference.
But how many people come to the US can change based on policies and politics here and around the world. A document explaining census number projections says immigration is “arguably the most uncertain of the population change components”.
A building glut
Imagine your neighborhood school shuttering. Due to student populations and other causes resulted in the Rochester city school board approved a reconfiguration plan to close five school buildings and about a dozen schools by next school year.
Several years ago the Wayne Central School District closed, and eventually sold, the Freewill school building in Walworth. Howls from concerned parents and the need for more busing was the inevitable result.
Similar closings in North Rose-Wolcott and other districts mirrored the reality of student enrollments.
Reductions in class offerings
For years parents and students clamored for more ‘AP’ (Advanced Placement) programs. Schools were glad to accommodate student needs, but as the population decline grew, it became impractical to offer AP Biology tofewer than a handful of students. Districts began merging AP programs with other schools, but again, additional busing was required.
Teacher/staff eliminations
It was less than a decade ago when school districts fought tooth and nail to fill teacher and staff positions. College teaching programs and requirements grew with a teaching career becoming a top profession with many options.
Gananda School Superintendent Shawn Van Scoy pointed out that his district grew to include five kindergarten sections. Today it is down to three and dropping.
Along with both elementary, middle and high school enrollment drops comes yearly eliminations of teacher and support staff positions.
Fewer students means less state aid
Along with fewer student and staff comes the inevitable drop in state aid to districts. School boards throughout the state and county have built up yearly budgets to fit requirements, but reducing and balancing budgets in light of population fluctuations is a nightmare.
Coupled with many declining tax bases in many districts only adds to school board frustrations.
Changes in district residency rules
Districts are searching for every student for enrollment. The more students a district has, the more state aid increases. Several years ago the state allowed parents/students to choose which school district they wished to attend.
Currently, Gananda has several out-of-district students, as do other districts. There is no financial penalty to the parents, but transportation is up to the student/parent, not the district.
• Districts merging
Although there have been preliminary talks between Marion and Williamson school boards, nothing solid has been recommended. The process would take several years of planning and execution. The state is currently looking into making district mergers easier and possible within two years.
One example of student enrollment is in the Marion School District. There were 986 students in the district in 2008-2009 school year. That has dropped to 566 in the enrollment for 2024-2025, a 41.5 % overall drop. This year there are only 30 students in the Marion senior class.
Gananda has
• The expansion of ‘Special Ed’ programs
The in. ux and de. nition of special needs has expanded over the past decade.
There are four main categories of special needs: Physical – multiple sclerosis, allergies and asthma, juvenile arthritis, leukemia, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy.
Developmental – Down syndrome, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, aphasia or dysphasia, auditory processing disorder, visual processing disorder.
Behavioral/emotional – obsessive compulsive disorder, dissociation, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, attention de. cit (hyperac- tivity) disorder, bipolar.
Sensory-impaired – blindness, deaf or limited hearing, visually impaired.
A person might be born with special needs, or they may develop later in life. A child with special needs has access to special education, sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Education under the Individuals with Disabilities Edu- cation Act (IDEA). This law de. nes which children are eligible for early intervention services, free public special education and related services.
Gananda Superintendent Shawn Van Scoy noted that in 2006 Gananda had 7% of students classi. ed as 'spe- cial needs’. 'Now we have 15% recognized as special needs as the rules have changed,' he stated.
On top of that factor with worldwide migration to the U.S. from numerous countries, English as a second language and other course work requires school districts to adapt and possibly look for cross-district cooperation.
• Districts melding sports teams, leagues joining other counties
As the school enrollment dropped the Marion District Athletic Director Lori DeLyser, who has now gone on a part-time basis, teamed up with the adjacent Williamson School District for Fall merging teams for golf, cross country. The school district’s once thriving football team merged with Newark in 2022.
For last Winter sports, Marion girls basketball merged with Williamson, wrestling merged with Williamson, skiing merged with Sodus, and indoor track merged with Gananda. This upcoming Winter sports have not yet been . nalized.
For Spring 2024 Flag football merged with Williamson and Girls softball merged with Williamson.
Several Wayne County School Districts have taken the approach of allowing students to practice and be coached by other district sport programs. Wayne swimmers practice with Gananda, but compete in individual events under their own school banner. The same goes for track, cross country, skiing and other non-team sport programs, where students compete on a personal basis.
For almost two decades, Gananda has teamed with East Rochester for varsity football, using the ER for prac- tices and coaching and . elds at both schools for scheduled
games.
Gananda has a set fee paid to ER for the current eight students participating in the football program.
Sodus Superintendent Nelson Kise stated: 'Our enrollment has remained relatively stable over the last few years here in Sodus. For example, we had 1,038 students on opening day in 2020, 1,064 in 2022, and 1,069 this current school year. As a result of a very thoughtful budgeting process, we have maintained all class offerings and added positions necessary to meet student demands. We have added intervention teachers to help close academic gaps, ENL teacher, teaching assistants, to name a few.
Here in Sodus, we no longer allow tuition-based enrollment. Only children who live within the District may attend.
The one struggle that many schools are experiencing is maintaining athletic teams. While our overall enrollment has not changed much, we have noticed a reduction in the number of students playing certain sports. As a result of this, Sodus has merged teams with other local schools to provide our athletes an opportunity to participate in the sports that are important to them. To accomplish this, some Sodus students go to other schools to compete and other schools send their students to our campus. Athletic Directors, coaches, and transportation departments have done an outstanding job coordinating this each season and I want to publicly thank them on behalf of our students and families. It is about put- ting students . rst and I am proud of how Wayne County schools have come together to provide continued opportunities for kids'.
Sodus Athletic Director Mike Magin said that Sodus is sending four students over to Lyons for varsity with 10 Sodus students participating in the modi. ed Lyons football program. He also added that Sodus students have merged with Williamson for bowling, tennis and Newark for swimming.
According to Section V Executive Director Kathy Hoyt, the former athletic director at North Rose-Wolcott, school districts sport team and individuals practicing and competing in other districts has been in place for decades, but is now coming more popular with shrinking enrollments.
Section V Athletics provides oversight and organization for interscholastic athletic programs in a large region of New York State, extending across 12 different counties including Allegany, Cayuga, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates. Section V is a member of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.
There has been some talk among area athletic directors concerning combining leagues to increase competition within the sports arena. According to Gananda AD, John John Tichacek , there is always the possibility of the Wayne League combining with the Finger Lakes League in the future.
Another problem coming to the forefront is the lack of, or reduction in both modi. ed and junior varsity pro- grams that fuel varsity sport competition due to enrollment drops.
Not all school districts are experiencing the sports decline due to student enrollment.
Red Creek School District student population has remained steady at, or just above 800, but Superintendent Matthew VanNorman has seen a slight decline in sports participation.
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