The Fountain Hills Unified School District Governing Board revisited declining enrollment and discussed student retention at the meeting held Wednesday evening, Feb. 19.
Shrinking enrollment in Fountain Hills’ schools is the driving factor behind needed budget reductions, something the district has struggled with over the years. FHUSD Suprintendent Dr. Cain Jagodzinski, when he first joined the district in his current position, had to deal with a minimal budget and tried to turn the tides of the situation early on.
“We changed up our schedules. We put in new programs, updated our buildings, did a lot of marketing,” said Jagodzinski. “And, as a result of that, we just have not seen the number of kids coming in that we’d like to see. We’ve seen a reduction in the number of kids leaving the district, I believe, over that time. But I just think that you’re going to see today, it just comes down to kindergarten classes more than anything.”
