By Tim Fleischer Editor-in-Chief

For the first day of school in Salado, 1,923 were enrolled, compared to 1,832 enrollment for the first-day enrollment in 2017.

The increase of 91 students over last year is almost three percent below what Salado ISD Trustees forecast for student enrollment growth in their 2018-19 budget adopted earlier this summer.

The 2018-19 adopted budget calls for 7.9 percent growth in overall enrollment, from 1,823 in the 2017-18 adopted budget to 1,964.

Salado enrollment grew just over 1 percent from the first day of enrollment in August 2017 to its end-of-year enrollment of 1,850 in June 2018. 

If this trend holds for 2018-19, enrollment this year may increase to about 1,942 students, which is 22 students below the projected enrollment in the budget.

“The 7.9 percent increase is based on the enrollment projections from Templeton Demographics,” SISD Superintendent Michael Novotny said when the 2018-19 budget was proposed in June.

As part of a long range facilities plan, Templeton Demographics conducted projected enrollment for the SISD based upon the number of new and proposed subdivisions within the school district and growth trends in the area.

If enrollment remains at 1,923, the impact on state revenues could be substantial. The 2018-19 adopted budget calls for $6,366,437 in state revenues. At an enrollment of 1,964, this is an average of $3,241.57 in state funds per student enrolled.

Based upon an average funding of $3,241.57 per student enrolled, if the current enrollments holds at 1,923 students, Salado could see state funding drop to $6,237,860. If enrollment increases by 1 percent to 1,942 (a typical increase when students come back after Labor Day), the district could receive $6,295,129 in state funding.

The state funding formula is based upon a far more complex funding formula that takes into consideration the weighted average daily attendance (WADA). Students enrolled in special education and vocational education are given more weight in the formula than other students.