With holiday break right around the corner for Wilton and Durant schools, Superintendent Joe Burnett is nearing the halfway point of his first year in a sharing role within the two school districts.
In the days after the official “count day” in both Durant and Wilton, Burnett presented each school board with enrollment summaries — simple pieces of paper he calls the most important documents the board members need to see and understand. Something he calls the school’s lifeblood.
“It drives everything. Neither school had ever seen these until I presented them with it,” he said. “You have to know your finances and you have to know your future. The best way to know your future is to know your enrollment.”
In both communities, the enrollment summaries tell different stories.
Wilton enrollment on the rise
Wilton’s enrollment has steadily been rising since the 2012-2013 school year. At that time, the K-12 enrollment was 784, down significantly from a high of 1,041 in 1998-1999. “It was bleak. We lost 100 students in my first two years as superintendent,” said Burnett. “Talk about cutting your teeth.”
The district began doing what it could to “tighten its belt” as Burnett would say. The main way to do it was by consolidating and/or not filling positions when teachers would retire. Wilton also began several sharing opportunities with Durant, many of which are still active today. Elementary grades also only had two teachers/sections at that time rather than three.
In February 2014 with enrollment numbers still low, residents of Wilton voted “Yes” at a rate of 72 percent to approve a $13.8 million bond project to build a new elementary school, shared cafeteria and baseball diamond, relocating the elementary school to the site of the junior/senior high school.
Wilton’s current K-12 enrollment is 874, up 190 students since the low of 784 six years ago. And in recent years, it’s become difficult to find houses for sale or rent in Wilton.
When the district built its new school, it did so with three classrooms for each grade. “People said we’d have empty classrooms. Now all our elementary grades are three sections,” said Burnett. “Build it, you’ll fill it. Don’t build it, it will get worse.”
There have also been many other additions to Wilton over the past 10-15 years, including a new library/community center, retirement community/nursing home and health clinic, all located across the street from the schools. The town is also in the middle of a downtown revitalization project. Burnett has also been involved in the Wilton Development Corporation over the years.
“This is a community effort, it can’t just be the school,” said Burnett.
The result has been large kindergarten classes coming into Wilton in recent years, with six of seven grades K-6 having at least 70 students. The average number of kids in grades K-6 is 73 while in grades 7-12 it’s 60. These numbers mean Wilton will graduate (on average) smaller classes than those coming in, meaning enrollment projections are now strong.
Durant numbers going down
Durant’s K-12 enrollment for 2018-2019 is 641 students, down from 668 in 2013-2014. Small incoming kindergarten classes have been a driving factor in the decline. This year’s kindergarten class has 42 students while first grade has 40 and second grade has 35. Those three are the lowest in Durant’s 13 grades.
The average number of students in grades K-6 is 44 while the average is 57 in grades 7-12. As senior classes graduate from Durant High School in coming years, the school’s overall enrollment will decrease more. If incoming kindergarten classes continue on the trend the district has seen, enrollment could be as low as 607 by 2022.
One major factor affecting the decrease, according to Burnett, is what he referred to as the “Davenport desegregation plan,” which limits the number of students that can open enroll to outside smaller districts from Davenport schools. This means there are far less students enrolling in Durant from Walcott and other western Quad Cities area small towns than in the past.
“The department of education allows (Davenport) to do that, which I don’t agree with,” Burnett said.
Another factor is that the Bennett School District now has whole grade sharing with Tipton as well as Durant for its students. Burnett also notes that in the average 7-12 numbers, there are Bennett students mixed in. That’s not reflected in the K-6 averages, although the main issue is still small incoming kindergarten classes.
In September, residents voted down a $10.8 million bond project in resounding fashion. Burnett was quoted as saying he came in during the ninth inning of the project, but was able to meet far more community members early as a result. It’s unknown whether the school board will explore another project in coming years, but the district is exploring a facilities study under Burnett’s direction, a key element at the beginning of Wilton’ successful bond project four years ago.
“There’s two lines of thought,” said Burnett with regard to a bond project. “One person can look and say we need to build this so we can grow. Another can look and say ‘why build this when (enrollment is) going down?’”
Durant has an aggressive tax abatement program and is looking to add a new housing addition. It is also exploring renovating its downtown district. “Both communities are trying to put their best foot forward. There’s no such thing as status quo. You’re moving forward or backward,” said Burnett.
Regardless of whether or not a bond project would pass and/or help Durant’s future enrollment, Burnett said he’s focused on one thing: relationships. “When you have strong relationships and you’re working toward a common goal of making things better, the sky’s the limit. We’ve established it in Wilton and it’s starting to happen in Durant. That’s not a Wilton thing, that’s a Joe Burnett thing. I don’t believe people in Durant are against improving the school or investing in it. The seeds are there. I’ve enjoyed the teachers and community members I’ve met. They’re hungry.”
