By LESTER CHANG
Student enrollment in the Cupertino Union School District is projected to rise from 14,886 to 16,046 students over the next 10 years, a consultant recently told Cupertino school board members.
The increase, generally attributed to a gain in students from the resale of homes, is small, but the district won't be caught off guard if enrollment rises unexpectedly, a district official told the board.
The district could pursue such options as year-round schooling and the use of more portable classrooms, according to Jerd Ferraiuolo, director of facility modernization with the district. The district also could consider modifying school boundaries or expanding open enrollment programs, in which students can attend schools outside of their attendance areas, Ferraiuolo said.
He discussed the data from a newly completed demographic study on enrollment trends at a board meeting Nov. 26.
The district hopes to use the study results to help it with its staff planning, use of buildings and equipment and future financial planning.
The information also will help the district implement a state-funded class-size reduction program for first-grade students, some board members said.
Schoolhouse Services, a San Mateo-based research firm, conducted the study from September to November at a cost of $22,500.
Growth Projected
The study projected most of the growth in areas around two of the largest schools in the district, Collins and Stocklmeir elementary schools, which currently have 829 students and 785 students, respectively.
Collins school can accommodate 837 students, while Stocklmeir school can accommodate 808 students. By 1999 though, another 90 students could be attending Collins school, and another 84 students could be attending Stocklmeir school, the study projected.
The district could head off crowding problems at Collins by putting additional students at nearby Faria Elementary School.
Among the four junior high schools, Hyde and Cupertino are forecast to have significantly more students than capacity starting in the year 2000 and 2001, respectively.
Hyde can currently accommodate up to 949 students, but is projected to have 102 more students than it can handle by the year 2000. By 2001, it will have 144 students more than it has classrooms for. Cupertino, meanwhile, is projected to have 86 more students than it can handle by 2001.
Miller Junior High School, which can accommodate 837 students, can act as a safety valve for junior highs schools facing overcrowded conditions, Ferraiuolo said. Miller has an excess number of rooms and can accommodate new students through 2006 without many problems, the study suggested.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, December 4, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.