As public schools in Oklahoma suffer further budget cuts , student enrollment continues to increase.

Growing class sizes remain a concern for some schools in Cherokee County, but each campus must maintain its focus on providing every student with educational requirements mandated by the state.

“If they move into our district, we’re obligated by law to educate them,” said Hulbert Public School Superintendent Dr. David Wilkins. “Now if they transfer, it’s a little different situation.”

The statewide fall headcount from the annual Oklahoma Public Schools Applications for Accreditation for the years 2006 to 2011 showed an average enrollment increase of 5,427 students, or a 27,136 total for the five-year span. The largest spike of new students took place during the 2009 academic year, when 9,765 new students entered the system. The total of new students in 2011 was 6,535.

Though an increase is being observed on a state level, overall numbers for some local districts grew just slightly or experienced minor decreases in the headcount. Tahlequah Public Schools recorded a decrease in its enrollment by 31 students during the 2010-’11 academic year, with an overall total of 3,566 students. The TPS enrollment number for 2009-’10 was 3,597.

Hulbert Public Schools increased its headcount just slightly over the 2010-’11 school year, with 596 students. HPS had an enrollment of 594 for the 2009-’10 terms. The rural school district experienced its largest growth period in 2008-’09, jumping from 579 to 604 after an influx of students when Lost City Public Schools closed its doors.

Keys Public Schools has not experienced an enrollment increase, but instead has lost students.

“We hadn’t had an increase the past two years,” said KPS Superintendent Jerry Hood. “We’ve gone down.”

Exact enrollment numbers for KPS were not available at press time.

The overall enrollment in area schools can be misleading, however. Though the total number suggests fewer students are attending area schools, the districts have experienced increased numbers in the elementary-age population.

“It’s part of the reason that necessitated the bond issue for our elementary schools,” said TPS Superintendent Dr. Shannon Goodsell. “Our elementary schools are facing more students than what they could handle.”

Enrollment at Cherokee Elementary grew by 11 students, with a 577 total in 2010-’11. Greenwood Elementary grew by 25, for total of 637. Sequoyah Elementary’s headcount grew by one child to 279.

The HPS superintendent said his district is also experiencing increases in the lower grades.

“We have a couple of elementary grades that are at capacity,” said Wilkins. “So we wouldn’t accept any more students for those grades. Our student enrollment is what drives our state aid, but that doesn’t mean we accept every student that tries to come in.”

Just as a bond issue was passed for the construction of a new TPS elementary building, the Hulbert school district will be holding a bond issue vote Feb. 14 to decide the fate of $1.7 million in improvements. If passed, the bond money will fund, in part, construction of a new elementary building to house the growing student population. The building would also provide protection during severe storms.

“Fortunately, we haven’t completely outgrown our facilities,” said Wilkins. “However, we are definitely at capacity. We have no extra classrooms at the elementary or high school. Our band and choir holds class in our auditorium.  I don’t think most people understand we are operating on a shrinking  budget. Despite increasing enrollment, our operating budget has been cut almost 10 percent in the past years.”

With the construction of a new elementary site already approved, the Tahlequah superintendent noted one way the district attempts to deal with its headcount is by controlling class sizes.

“One of our number priorities is class sizes,” said Goodsell. “We try to keep class sizes as low as we possibly can. In the lower elementary grades, we try to keep class sizes smaller because of the emphasis on reading. The new common core state standard mandates not only must we teach students how to read, but writing also has become a top priority. You need class sizes to be low because writing is the most difficult thing to teach. It’s the most difficult thing to grade and it takes the most class time. That’s why class sizes are so critical. It all boils down to time.”

 The largest class size at Cherokee Elementary is 24, with the smallest at 20 students. Greenwood Elementary’s largest homeroom class is 25 students, with the smallest at 20. The largest homeroom class at Sequoyah Elementary is 24 students, with the smallest at 18.  These numbers were taken from the district’s student summary count on Oct. 3, 2011.