In the last four school years, enrollment has remained between 7,600 and 7,700 students, said Superintendent David Estrop.
Even more promising is the comparison of current enrollment to projections, Estrop said.
The 2007 study by Planning Advocates estimated that the district would have 7,123 students this school year. Based on the October count, nearly 500 more students are attending Springfield schools this year.
“The actual enrollment numbers ... over the last three years have improved significantly against the projected enrollments,” Estrop said.
While the enrollment is good news for the district, it bodes well for the community as a whole, officials said.
“Certainly among other things, public education is a major driver for economic development,” said Ed Leventhal, board president.
Education is a marketing point for attracting residents and businesses to the area, said Michael McDorman, president and CEO of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.
“We’re still a long way as a community from getting top executive talent to move to Springfield,” he said. “These types of announcements help us in that regard, and we continue to move in the right direction in getting people to look at the city of Springfield as a place to live.”
All the schools in the county are important to the future of the area, but the city schools play an important role as the largest district, said James Peifer, a local attorney who is co-chair of Greater Springfield Moving Forward, a group dedicated to solving community problems.
“If you’re not moving forward with the education in the largest educational system in the county, it’s somewhat of a negative and creates sort of a negative view of things,” he said.
In recent years, Springfield has set itself apart through offering unique programming and will continue to do so to set itself apart, said Leventhal.
“We think we have a great deal to offer for our students, both in the district and adjoining districts,” he said.
In addition to stemming the enrollment decline, Springfield has stabilized its finances after a period of state control and improved to the “Effective” rating on the state report card, the third highest of the state’s possible ratings.
“It’s hard for me to say how the community views public education, but I have certainly heard a lot of people remark on the opportunities that Springfield City Schools has that the county schools and parochial schools don’t have,” said Jennifer Oldstone-Moore, parent of a Springfield High School student and two graduates. “If nothing else, there’s a recognition that there are things you can get at Springfield that you can’t get anywhere else in the area.”
Oldstone noted that her daughters had benefited from music and drama programs and a dedicated faculty, as well as the International Baccalaureate program, a rigorous international education program.
Springfield High School is one of only 27 schools in the state to offer the program, according to the organization. Students open enrolling to the high school frequently cite IB classes as a reason for the move, said Kim Fish, communications consultant for Springfield schools.
The district also works with businesses to offer internships, has several science, technology, engineering and math programs and offers flexibility through its Family Academy, an evening session for students, said Estrop.
“By creating all those additional choices, Springfield offers more choices than any other school district in this area,” he said. “Now I’m not talking Clark County, I’m talking southwestern Ohio.”
People are taking notice of those types of programs, said the chamber’s McDorman.
“In 10 years when you look around Clark County, Springfield City Schools, specifically the high schools, is going to be the place you want to send your child or students, because they’re going to have programming like the IB program that nobody else offers,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0373.
About the Author