Published: September 06, 2008 06:31 pm            

Enrollment at Nichols up sharply

By Raymond Billy

rbilly@jacksonvilleprogress.com

Nichols Intermediate School Principal Tammy Jones’ enrollment projections for the 2008-2009 academic year were right on the money during last week’s first day of school, and attendance has only grown since.

Jones — speaking before the Jacksonville Independent School District Board of Trustees last December — told board members Nichols would likely experience an enrollment increase up to 39 students this school year, an estimate that lead school officials to consider expansion of the intermediate school.

When Jones presented her estimates, enrollment was 689. On Aug. 25, the first day of the academic year, enrollment was 727, one student shy of Jones’ projection. The number was up to 737 Wednesday.

But trustees in March jettisoned the idea of expanding the school after an economic downturn called into question whether an exodus of citizens from Jacksonville seeking jobs in other cities might cause enrollment to decline. Even though that has not happened at Nichols — or in the district overall, for that matter — trustees are not likely to appropriate money to expand the school, JISD Superintendent Stuart Bird said.

“No funding will be approved to build a new wing at Nichols this school year. We just don’t have the money. If and when a wing is built, the money would have to come from a bond issue,” Bird said. “We’ll use portables if need be, but the idea of expanding the school is definitely on hold.”

Indeed, JISD is already operating under a deficit budget — a deficit officials say is likely to be wiped out by years end, but a tight budget nonetheless. The district considered spending about $909,144 for a four-room expansion of Nichols or $2,023,702 for an eight-room upgrade, prices that have likely climbed since the district decided not to go forward with the idea.

Had the trustees approved funding for additions to Nichols, the project would have taken place over the summer. The school board felt comfortable postponing the expansion because Jones said her school could absorb the number of students anticipated to increase its enrollment this year. Bird said Jones reiterated that point to him when they spoke this week. He said Nichols has the space and the teachers to accommodate its current student population.

“There are a few classrooms that exceed the 22-1 student-teacher ratio, but that situation is more than manageable,” he said. “We have plenty of options for rearranging things to make sure our classrooms stay proportioned.”

        

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