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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Some Utah school districts are looking for more teachers and calling for school construction as new population estimates indicate school enrollment grew by 14,430 students last year.
The estimates released this week by the state's demographers showed significant growth in Jordan, Davis, Alpine, Tooele and Washington districts, in particular.
The growth in part can be attributed to a spurt triggered by baby boomers' grandchildren starting their own families, said Patty Murphy, state Office of Education economist.
In-migration also is a factor.
Utah had expected about 2,000 new students to move in from out of state, but the number was about 6,000, Murphy said. "Nobody anticipated the housing boom to this extent and no one predicted the timing of it, either."
The new student growth may mean per-pupil funding -- already the lowest in the nation -- will drop in the upcoming budget year if the Legislature does not free up new funds, Murphy said.
Davis School District enrollments grew an estimated 1,850 students, mostly in elementary schools in high-growth areas such as Kaysville and Farmington, district planner Chase Rogers said.
"Some people might say, 'Of course there are more students, look at all the new housing.' The reality is that we have the same number of new homes constructed this year as last," he said.
But "the families we had move in this year, to both new and existing homes, have more school-age children than we have seen in the past," he said.
Davis High School in Kaysville had so many more 11th-graders than expected that the district had to hire extra teachers and teaching assistants to help manage classrooms.
In June, voters will decide whether the district will be able to bond to build new schools throughout the district.
Other areas, such as Washington School District, were more prepared for the growth because their population has boomed consistently for the past few years.
However, the one elementary school in the district had to run double sessions. A new elementary will open in January, said Marshall Topham, assistant superintendent for secondary education.
The district plans to open or renovate five schools next year and another five in both 2007 and 2008, when a new high school will be built.
"The elementary did catch us off guard a little bit," Topham said. "But we are surviving in secondary schools, and we haven't had overcrowded classrooms."
The Alpine School District built two junior highs and eight elementaries after passing a $200 million bond in 2001. The district has seen a total growth of 7,608 students in the past six years, which falls within the district's predictions, spokeswoman Jerrilyn Mortensen said.
"We continue to grow, and we're currently looking for ways to house future growth and provide for future needs," she said.
In addition to growth in most school districts, charter schools nearly doubled their populations from 6,237 to 11,528 students. The growth may be due in part to the fact that students who previously were home-schooled are now attending charter schools, Murphy said.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
