City Student Population Grew 10 Percent

By Amber Lester Kennedy Thursday, November 10, 2011

The City of Williamsburg could be footing more of the bill for the shared school system in the next fiscal year. The city’s student population has increased by more than 10 percent.

School divisions across the state count the number of students attending school on Sept. 30 each year; that number is a key factor in determining how the school division will be financed by the localities.

The Sept. 30 count this year showed that 916 WJCC students live in the city, compared to 828 students in September 2010. That represents a growth of 10.63 percent, and the city’s student population now makes up 8.67 percent of the total WJCC school population. Mayor Clyde Haulman called the news “stunning” at City Council’s Monday work session.

The county, however, did not see the same growth. The number of students living in the county decreased by 32 to a total of 9,647. County students make up 91.33 percent of the student population.

The increases could require a much larger financial contribution from the city. In the current fiscal year, the city contributed $7.3 million to the division’s $82 million budget. If the city continues to pay a 14 percent premium per child, the city will need to pay $8.1 million in fiscal year 2013. The city will have to find an additional $742,337 in its budget for next year, said City Manager Jack Tuttle, who presented the numbers on Monday.

He said Finance Director Phil Serra reviewed the results, looking at the addresses of city students to determine if there was a pattern of growth. He found that 45 of the 88 new students live on Merrimac Trail. Tuttle suggested some of the new families might be renters; more than half of the city’s residents are renters now.

“We will be dealing with this in the next year, in terms of budget and contract negotiation,” he said.