Garrison sees enrollment hike
Garrison sees enrollment hike
By CHERYL ODDEN
Principals at each of the two Garrison schools had good news to share at Tuesday’s Garrison School Board meeting. Shelly Fuller, elementary principal, said 19 new students had enrolled in grades K-6, bringing first day enrollment to 195. She said an additional 33 students were enrolled in the school’s preschool program.
“Enrollment is the big story here, too,” noted Jim Upgren, high school principal. Upgren said the school, grades 7-12, had 17 new students. First day enrollment (Tuesday) at the high school was 193. He said several of the new students are from out of state where class sizes range in the hundreds.
After presenting enrollment numbers, discussion turned to lack of air conditioning in the two buildings. With Tuesday’s daytime temp in the upper 90s, Fuller reported, “Everyone was a bit wilted.” Addressing the issue in his report, Superintendent Steve Brannan said air conditioning wouldn’t be an option at the elementary school – at least for now. He said evaluation of the school’s electrical system shows that the current system is unable to support an increased load, including the use of window units.
To minimize the impact of the heat, board members briefly discussed beginning and ending the school day earlier. Deciding that it wouldn’t be workable, the idea was nixed. One of the reasons given was ITV class scheduling; another objection was that it would make the day begin too early for rural students riding the bus to school.
