Superintendent: Incoming class sizes have stabilized
By David Tyler
With a graduating class of 157 students, and an incoming kindergarten class projected to be between 90 and 100 students, enrollment in the Cazenovia Central Schools will decline again in the 2019-20 school year. The number of incoming students, however, has stabilized at a similar level for several years, according to Superintendent Matthew Reilly.
This year’s senior class is far and away the largest in the district, Reilly said. If incoming kindergarten classes remain similar in size, the decline in overall enrollment will be smaller in the future.
The decline in student enrollment is a concern, Reilly said, because a critical mass of students is necessary for the district to continue to offer an enriched program at all levels.
Although Cazenovia schools will have fewer students next year, Reilly said it is unlikely to have much impact on the amount of state aid the district receives. In the governor’s preliminary budget, Cazenovia schools are slated for a “nominal” $16,000 increase in state aid. Reilly said he is hopeful that as the state legislature and the governor’s office continue negotiations over the budget, additional funding will be added for public education.
One benefit of the decrease in the student population at the high school, Reilly said, is that it could allow teachers to add elective courses that they’ve been unable to fit into their schedules because of the larger senior class size.
