Enrollment flat in schools

Overall student enrollment in the San Juan School District remained steady in the past year, but there are some dramatic changes in area communities. The annual enrollment count is made on October 1. The numbers were discussed at the October 14 meeting of the San Juan School Board.
There were 3,021 students enrolled in the district on October 1. This is eight students more than one year earlier, when the count was 3,013 students.
The school district operates a dozen schools throughout the county.
Enrollment in the Montezuma Creek schools is up by 62 students at Whitehorse High School and Montezuma Creek Elementary School. This is a nearly 13 percent increase.
In Monticello, the enrollment is dropping. On October 1, 2013, there were 580 students enrolled in the elementary and high schools in Monticello. One year later, the enrollment had dropped by 48 students, to 532 students. This represents a nine percent drop.
In other matters at the October 14 meeting, a group of parents and soccer supporters approached the district with a request to start a soccer program at San Juan High School. There are 26 small-school soccer programs in the state, with the 1A and 2A schools combined in a single classification.
The group will continue to work on tackling the logistics of creating a program and were encouraged to start at the club level. A Southwest Colorado club league includes teams from Moab, Cortez, Telluride, Ridgeway and Durango.
The closest Utah high school program is at Grand High School in Moab. One of the challenges with soccer programs throughout the state is securing trained officials.
A parent also addressed safety concerns with the bleachers and track facilities at Monticello High School.
The board approved a $20,000 annual travel budget for board members. The budget includes a line item for each board member rather than the single budget.
The board also approved a policy regarding instructional field trips.