New Paltz School District Faces Student Enrollment Drops (2019)
In New Paltz and much of the Hudson Valley area, public school enrollment decreased drastically. According to a report published by Hudson Valley Patterns for Progress, the enrollment number in Ulster County has dropped exponentially from 28,721 in 2000/01 to 22,406 in 2018/19. A similar study conducted by Cornell University’s Program on Applied Demographics shows that New Paltz is experiencing a decline in enrollment from 2,355 in 2004 to 2,093 in 2018.
Cornell PAD / NYS School and District Report Cards
Mario Fernandez, the principal of New Paltz High School stated in an interview, “Our school is facing a huge drop in student enrollments and there could be a risk of a teacher drought.” He also added, “Just look around the halls. We have this big school and barely any students.”
According to the Patterns report, “much of the decline in student populations reflect larger societal and migratory trends.” Furthermore, Patterns stated that “people are marrying later and delaying starting a family. When they do, they typically have only one child or two. The average U.S. family size declined to 1.8 children per family in 2016, down from 2.3 a few decades ago.”
Evidently, Fernandez said, “New Paltz is not exactly a town people choose to live in. When you look at its location and what it offers, would people want to live here? The houses around here have not been renovated for years and there is a scarcity of things to do here. Once the students [in New Paltz] graduate, they tend to move to cities and more populated areas.”
While enrollment rates in Ulster County decreased, per pupil spending increased. According to the Patterns report, the cost per pupil increased from $23,261 in 2013/14 to $29,100 in 2017/18. Patterns also stated that “the declining enrollment means that existing taxpayers have to bear the expense of educating a smaller number of students at higher costs.” As school district expenditures increase, New Paltz taxpayers are affected.
NYS Education Department Fiscal Analysis & Research Unit
A fiscal report by the New York State Education Department’s Fiscal Analysis and Research Unit showed that New Paltz’s school district per-pupil expenditures rose from $23,561 in 2013/14 to $27,878 in 2017/18 – an 18.3% increase.
According to the Patterns report, per pupil spending will continue to increase while classroom sizes shrink due to school administration and staffing typically remaining stable – regardless of enrollment fluctuation.
The New York State Education Department’s fiscal report also showed that New Paltz teacher salaries increased from $15,128,916 in 2008 to $18,312,632 in 2018.
NYS Education Department Fiscal Analysis & Research Unit
Fernandez stated, “Even though we’re losing students, the staff and I will continue to get paid our salaries and bonuses because it’s all contractual. However, we might have to let go of the newer teachers – in other words, a teacher drought. We just don’t have the need for so many teachers and staff when our enrollment numbers are decreasing. It’s all based on supply-and-demand.”
According to Fernandez, student enrollment from K to 12 in New Paltz is expected to decrease up until 2025. He had no statements according to what the school district is doing to address this issue at the moment.
