District 51 reducing some staff due to declining enrollment

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - Enrollment numbers are declining in District 51, so district officials are reducing some staffing positions.

District spokesperson, Emily Shockley said over the next five years the district is predicting a significant decline in enrollment. According to Shockley a number of things contribute to decreased enrollment such as the deciding birth rate and fewer younger families moving to Mesa County.

Even though the district is reducing positions, Shockley said nobody is getting laid off.

“We’re reducing some staffing numbers and a lot of that is going to be done through attrition,” said Shockley. “That just means that if someone’s already leaving for another job or retiring then maybe that’s the position we don’t fill.”

When numbers decline, Shockley said it’s up to the individual school principles which positions get reduced or refilled.

“If you only lose a few students, you might still need the same staffing levels for teachers,” said Shockley. “If you are losing a lot of students, lets say in that fourth grade pocket then you might have three rounds right now you might go down to two.”

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