Enrollment shifting in local schools

A month into the new school year, the school district in Grand Coulee Dam is teaching 23 fewer students than a year ago, the superintendent reported Monday night, but the Nespelem district has gained more than expected in its new, limited high school program.

Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Rod Broadnax told the school board 10 specific students had not yet shown up but may yet. He did not say which grades those students would be in.

Broadnax reminded the board that enrollment numbers affect the budget.

In Nespelem Tuesday night Superintendent Effie Dean reported their single new class of ninth graders, in the school that had stopped at eighth grade until this year, now has 10 students.

Broadnax said Lake Roosevelt Schools were currently at 684.76 full-time-equivalent students.

Lake Roosevelt’s Alternative Learning Environment program, however, is serving 41 students, a record, said Mark Herndon, the ALE principal.

The two school districts have been working at closer collaboration. Nespelem students go on to Lake Roosevelt. The boards met in a joint session in August, which GCDSD President Rich Black said was a good meeting.

“We also had an opportunity to communicate, I think, honestly, between our two boards … and our superintendents, which is really good,” Black recalled Monday. “… We’re going in the right direction, certainly.”

Indian Education director Ashley Atkins said the two schools are working together on a family fun night event at the Colville Tribes’ government center Oct. 11 at 6 p.m.

“So I’m really happy that you guys were able to have this joint school board meeting, because I think that really ignited a lot of our relationships,” she said.