DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – The Detroit Lakes Public School District is contemplating a reduction in staff and programs due to the economic impacts of COVID-19.
Superintendent Mark Jenson says it’s a situation the district is looking at because of enrollment decline this year, “We’re not alone, most districts are suffering right now with enrollment and so we’re looking at it”.
The district has lost around 200 students district wide compared to last year, most choosing to homeschool because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That loss equates to around $1.5 million in revenue for the school from the State.
Jenson says before any local decisions are made, he’s hoping the State legislature will hold Districts harmless, “There’s a lot of talk to hold districts harmless and take the February enrollment number from last year [2019] and use that as a guide. We’re all pushing our legislatures to take into account that this is a blip in the radar in terms of enrollment.”
The district will likely experience an additional loss of students to homeschooling as they plan to go to a distance learning model across the district by Dec. 21.
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