The Blue Earth Area School Board received some good news and some bad news about enrollment during their meeting on Monday night, Sept. 11.

BEA superintendent Mandy Fletcher told the board that the actual number of students in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade, as of Monday, was at 1,050 students, up eight from exactly a year ago when the number was 1,042.

Those are actual numbers of students, she told the board, not the weighted average number of pupils which is used for funding purposes.

That was the good news. The bad news is looking at the next school year.

“We keep an eye on the census numbers for our area and the estimate is we could have 30 fewer students next year at this time,” Fletcher said. “It has to do with a smaller estimated Kindergarten class coming in next fall.”

The estimated incoming Kindergarten class next year is at 55, and with a graduating senior class this school year of 83, the overall student numbers are bound to decrease the following school year.

Fletcher noted that these are projected numbers only at this time.

She also pointed out that there is some misconception out in the public about the class sizes at Blue Earth Area.

“We did make some staff cuts a few years ago, but we have been hiring full staff again,” Fletcher said. “We heard your (the School Board’s) desire to reduce class size the last couple of years and this has been done.”

She pointed to numbers which show Kindergarten classes at BEA average 17.4 students, first grade 20.25, second grade 21.75 and so on.

Fifth grade is the largest in the elementary, with just under 29 students per fifth grade class.

“It is a little harder to estimate in the seventh through 12th grades, as far as class sizes go,” Fletcher said. “But overall those class sizes are usually about 25 or just over that.”

Fletcher also gave a report on the multitude of summer projects that were accomplished by the custodial staff.

“It is a lot more than just cleaning the halls and the classrooms,” she noted. “There were a lot of repair projects and major items such as roof work, cabinets, chillers, concrete repair, doors, carpet replacement and much more.”

In other business at the meeting, the BEA School Board:

• Heard reports about the successful first days of school as students returned to classes last week.

All of the principals reported things went very well and school was off to an excellent start, with only a few glitches.

“I could not be more excited to have the students all back in school,” high school principal Conan Schaffer said. He did note they had three high school English teachers, but they still needed a fourth one. “But we are dealing with it, for now,” he added.

• Set the proposed property tax levy at the maximum allowed by the state. The actual levy number will be set in December.

• Approved the 2023-2024 Literacy Plan.

• Accepted a donation from the BEA Tennis Association for the purchase of new uniforms.

• Approved numerous personnel changes, including a resignation of elementary paraprofessional Megan Jammeron, hiring of elementary paraprofessionals Taylor Robbins, Alexis Rivera, Monica Robbins, Savannah Lane, hiring Michelle Boness-Hahn as a full time guest teacher and Rachel Petersen as a gifted and talented teacher, leave of absence for Brittany Stindtman, lane changes for Heather Hernandez, Gianni Alm, Nick Milbrandt and Leonor May and retirement for high school math teacher Tom Plocker.

The board also approved rehiring Plocker to a full time position.

• Approved 12 policies, either new or with some changes to current ones.