The Woodward News

Local News

August 30, 2012

School enrollment numbers up locally

Brandi Thomas Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — Enrollment numbers are up for Woodward Public Schools.

According to Superintendent Tim Merchant, enrollment for the 2012-2013 school year for Woodward is at 2,774 students across the district, which is an increase of about 70 children from last year.

"We have seen the biggest increases in our pre-k classes, which we had to split them and they are still a little crowded with 25 in one and 26 in another class," Merchant said.

The split now makes for a total of 10 pre-kindergarten classes at the ECC, he said.

There was also the need to expand some other grade levels, he said

"We added two 2nd grade classes to help with some of the overcrowding," Merchant said, noting the classes were added at Cedar Heights and Horace Mann  just simply because there was more demand for the 2nd grade at both of these locations."

According to Merchant the school district also talked about adding an extra 3rd grade class, but with the shortage of teachers it just wasn't going to happen.

"With the lack of housing and the state wide shortage of teachers, hiring has become a real problem for the school," he said.  

The district still has 2 counseling positions open, which Merchant said those duties are being shared by the other counselors for now.

"We have gotten off to a pretty good start this year," the superintendent said. "We've had a few kinks in our transportation department, but in all it has been great."  

So far the only transportation problems have been at the Early Childhood Center with traffic during pick-up and drop-off times, he said.

"We are short on bus drivers, which doesn't help with the traffic at the ECC, but we would like to get one more bus to run to help the situation out," Merchant said.

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