Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District enrollment appears to stabilize, up 22 students from previous year

Enrollment in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District appears to have stabilized after years of decline that averaged 384 students annually since the 2017-18 school year.

This year's enrollment stands at 22,276 students, up 22 students from last year's tally. The total number of students lost since the 2017-18 school year is 2,717, a substantial loss that resulted in less per-pupil income under the state's funding formula.

The enrollment numbers were part of a presentation at the district's Dec. 17 trustee meeting by Gary Stine, assistant superintendent for administrative services. Stine resigned his position as of Dec. 31 and was to start a similar role in the Huntington Beach City School District Jan. 1.

The enrollment drop slowed in the 2023-24 school year, which saw 289 fewer students at the district's 34 campuses than the previous year. Enrollment projections for each of the next two school years are 22,276, according to Stine's report.

Interestingly, during the same period of declines in student enrollment, the number of district employees jumped from 2,023 in the 2017-18 school year to 2,372 this year, up 349 workers.

Stine said the increase was because the district staffed programs that were initiated with one-time money, such as pandemic cash. One of the “challenges ahead” that Stine addressed in his report was to “prioritize staffing funded from one-time money that is now ongoing general fund expense.”

Among positions funded with one-time money: bilingual and special education aides, nurses, behavioral support, counselors, wellness specialists and extra student support class sections.

Other challenges listed by Stine: maintaining enrollment stability; a projected low cost of living adjustment for the next three years from state funding; increased employment costs, including benefits, annual raises and pension costs; and a continued focus on attendance.

The latter challenge regarding attendance rates has been a district priority for several years, and it has seen some improvement over prior years, from 94.95% last year to 95% this year.

Also included in Stine's presentation, part of a state-required first interim report on district finances, was a $12.4 million projected budget deficit this year, dropping to $1.7 million in 2027-28.

The report for the Orange County School of Computer Science charter at Bernardo Yorba Middle School shows an enrollment of 137 in 4th through 6th grades and 601 in 7^th and 8^th grades, with a 95% attendance rate.

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Trustees voted 3-2 on Dec. 17 to rejoin the California School Boards Association, with Marilyn Anderson, Carrie Buck and Tricia Quintero in favor; Leandra Blades and Todd Frazier opposed. Cost is $17,614 for Jan, 1 through June 30.

Blades, Frazier and Shawn Youngblood voted to drop membership August 2023, as recommended by Superintendent Alex Cherniss. Anderson and Buck were opposed.