Listening tour
Playoff time
State education officials talk future of schools
Wolves’ teams pursue state sports titles
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South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
the OCTOBER 31, 2024
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South Burlington school population increases; Champlain Valley dips LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Two neighboring school districts in Chittenden County — Champlain Valley School District and South Burlington School District — have seen conflicting enrollment trends over the last five years. According to a state education profile report published by the Agency of Education in August, total enrollment in Vermont public schools — including pre-kindergarten through 12th grade — has steadily declined between 2003 and 2023 by a little over 6 percent. The decline in kindergarten through 12th grade during that same period was nearly 14 percent, although much of this change occurred pre-pandemic. Schools in the Champlain Valley School District — the state’s largest district — have kept on par with the statewide trend with total enrollment declining nearly 7 percent between 2019 and 2024, according to data provided by the district. Most notable is Hinesburg Community School, where enrollments in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade dropped more than 11 percent during that timeframe. Shelburne Community School similarly has seen a 7 percent decline and Charlotte Community School, a nearly 6 percent decline. “We are seeing a slow, steady decline across our elementary schools,” Gary Marckres, chief operations officer in the district,
said. “Specifically, the trend is declining, although that was supported by the demographic report that we had done in 2022, but we are declining a little more than that demographic report suggested that we would.” South Burlington, meanwhile, has seen a different trend with enrollment slowly but steadily increasing. This year, total enrollment for the school district is roughly 4 percent higher than it was in 2019, according to data provided by the district. Demographic reports commissioned by the district show that those numbers are only set to increase in the coming years. South Burlington School District administrators have long been aware of the enrollment trend. In 2021, they switched most of their focus to finding solutions to overcrowded elementary schools that, at the time, exceeded the state-recommended 85 percent capacity by more than 100 students. The school installed eight zero-emission modulars — four at Rick Marcotte Elementary School and four at Orchard Elementary School — that cost roughly $6 million. The portable buildings range in size and use, and school officials have previously said they can help to provide an immediate, albeit temporary, solution to a longer-term problem. The district’s three elementary schools — pre-kindergarten through 5th grade — See STUDENT ENROLLMENT on page 13
VOLUME 48, NO. 44
Garden helpers
COURTESY PHOTO
Members of the Alpha Epislon Phi fraternity, Zeta Pi Chapter recently volunteered at a senior housing community in South Burlington to clean up personal gardens for the residents. The group included Ari Diamond, Carver Dehart, Ethan Funk, Jonas Tenzer, Bryce Cantania, Jonathan Cohn and Sebastian D’Amico with University of Vermont Extenstion master gardener Heather Robillard.
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