Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Enrollment decrease, rising prices affect Gurdon School District

Gurdon Schools superintendent Bobby Smithson provided some more figures

detailing the financial condition of the school district.

During the Aug. 19 meeting of the school board, Smithson said the district saw a

decrease of 54 students at the start of 2008-09 year and that enrollment needs to

rise. Last week, Smithson said total enrollment for the year, K-12 (excluding pre-

K) is 788. The district will lose $223,668 in state revenue due to the enrollment

decrease. I really dont know why, I was not expecting it, he said of the

decrease. One major operating expense is fuel. Last year, the district spent

$80,000 on fuel. Smithson said the district expects to pay $120,000 for fuel this

year. To help meet the expenditure, he said certified staff has been reduced, trips

will be cut back, and admission to athletic events and price of school meals

increased. Teacher raises are not in sight at this time, he said. There is more to

consider in school expenses, such as supplies, textbooks, band, library books,

background checks and natural gas, he said. Then there are unexpected

expenditures. In June, the board approved repairs to the high school parking lot

and sealing the parking lot at the football field. Due to the increase in the price

of asphalt from $40 per ton to $80 per ton, Smithson said, those repairs cost

$17,450.