Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Enrollment in SAD 1 schools is down slightly according to Superintendent Gehrig Johnson.
At last Wednesday night’s board meeting, Johnson told directors that as of Sept. 11, there were 2,070 students attending SAD 1 schools. “Last year we had 2,100 students enrolled, so we’re down 30 students,” said Johnson. “Though overall enrollment is down, it’s not a big change. Class size is reasonable throughout the district.”
At the present, there are 630 students enrolled at Presque Isle High School, 443 at the Presque Isle Middle School, 228 at Mapleton Elementary School, 370 at Pine Street Elementary School, 335 at Zippel Elementary School, and 64 at the Learning Center.
“Our elementary enrollment is down by seven children,” said Johnson, “while our middle school enrollment is down by five students, and our high school enrollment is down by 18.
“Our pre-kindergarten enrollment is also down this year by 19 children,” he said, “but our first grade enrollment is up by 17 children.
Enrollment has been declining slightly over the last several years.
In 1995, 2,291 students were enrolled in the district; 2,230 in 2000; and 2,093 in 2005.
Enrollment data will again be collected Oct. 1.
Also at last week’s board meeting, directors approved Melissa Buck as a new fifth-grade teacher at Zippel Elementary School.
Buck received her bachelor of science degree in elementary education from the University of Maine at Orono. She had previously been teaching in Fort Fairfield.
Mary White was hired as a social worker at Presque Isle High School. She has 17 years of experience at AMHC and received her bachelor of arts in behavioral science from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and her master of social work from the University of Maine at Orono.
The next SAD 1 board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17 at Mapleton Elementary School.
