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Show District enrollment on the increase 0 By DONETA GATHERUM :- FARMINGTON The enroll- - ment in Davis District schools has increased about 25.71 percent in the last six year period, according to statistics compiled by Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dr. ' Stephen Ronnenkamp. This trend is projected to continue especially " in the north end of the county until - at least 1998. Total enrollment has increased . from 41,991 in 1983 to 51,438 this S year. This does not include stu- " dents enrolled in special programs .' such as Mountain High and the ' Davis Learning Center. When ' these numbers are included in the y enrollment count, Davis District is " ; responsible for 51,849 students as of last Friday. The elementary population has increased by more than 6,000 youngsters, junior high by nearly 2,000 and senior high by 1,210 in the last five years. The student population explosion explo-sion is just now hitting the junior highs. Their growth problems will continue through 1991-1992. As the students reach high school age, the population will peak in 1991 through 1996. Growth in the areas served by Woods Cross and Bountiful Highs is slow while the Layton area is the fastest growing. There are some "growth spots" that over-crowd some schools in the Syracuse and Farmington areas. The district's three largest elementary schools are Sarah Jane Adams in Layton with an enrollment of 1,133 followed fol-lowed by Knowlton in Farmington and Lincoln in Layton. Board member Henry Heath recently re-cently commented that if Davis District were in a position financially finan-cially to build new schools, a new elementary school could be built and filled with students each year. Projecting the extent of growth in the future is difficult. Past studies stu-dies suggest there will be a leveling off by 1998. The district is now in the process of collecting data from many sources, including a door-to-door survey to help track growth patterns. Some information already gathered shows that there were 3,701 live births in Davis County in 1986 and 3,380 births in 1987. This doesn't include babies born outside the county that have parents living here. It also doesn't include infants belonging to families fami-lies who just recently moved into the county. Handling the growth without building new schools is a major challenge. Dr. Ronnenkamp notes there is a growth study committee headed by Grant Steed that is collecting col-lecting facts concerning every possible pos-sible alternative program such as extended days, year around school, specialized schools, etc. Also being studied are methods of busing on a voluntary and an involuntary in-voluntary basis and changing school boundaries. Modifications in the traditional school program can be expected soon in all grade levels, not just elementary school. Another task force consisting of community representatives from every elementary school in Layton is looking at the needs of the schools in this rapid growth city. The next decade is crucial in Davis County. Dr. Ronnenkamp hopes that study and preparation made now can help handle increased in-creased enrollment for many years to come without building new schools or increasing taxes. |