Berlin Brothersvalley School District - Enrollment

Enrollment

The district's enrollment is in the bottom 8% in Pennsylvania. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, there are fewer than 870 students enrolled in K-12. The senior class of 2011 has 72 students, while the class of 2010 had 68 students. Enrollment is projected to continue to decline by another 170 students to 700 by the 2018 academic year. The administrative infrastructure and mandate related costs per pupil are very high. With limited local taxation resources, opportunities for students are limited.

A study was done in 2004, examining consolidating school administration of Meyersdale Area School District with Berlin Brothersvalley School District administration. The projected savings was over $1,000,000. The study also examined a consolidation with Rockwood Area School District and with Shade-Central City School District each of the proposals yielded significant savings for local taxpayers. The study noted that consolidation could significantly decrease school administrative costs for the communities while significantly improving offerings to students.

Rural Pennsylvania school enrollment is projected to decrease 8 percent by 2011. The most significant enrollment decline is projected to be in western Pennsylvania, where rural school districts may have a 16 percent decline. More than 40 percent of elementary schools and more than 60 percent of secondary schools in western Pennsylvania are projected to experience significant enrollment decreases (15 percent or greater).

Pennsylvania has one of the highest numbers of school districts in the nation. In Pennsylvania, 80% of the school districts serve student populations under 5,000, and 40% serve less than 2,000. Less than 95 of Pennsylvania's 501 school districts have enrollment below 1250 students, in 2007. This results in excessive school administration bureaucracy and not enough course diversity. In a survey of 88 superintendents of small districts, 42% of the 49 respondents stated that they thought consolidation would save money without closing any schools.