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By FOSS FARRAR
Traveler Staff Writer

A decrease in enrollment of 72 students this year in Arkansas City schools probably won't result in less state funding next year, Superintendent Ron Ballard said.

This year's head count for students in kindergarten through 12th grade is 2,822 students compared to last year's 2,894.

Head count enrollment is only one of three measures used for state funding purposes, Ballard told the USD 470 Board of Education at its regular meeting, Monday evening at Arkansas City Middle School.

Ballard said the state funding formula also uses a full-time equivalency (FTE) number and "enrollment weighting" to determine funding for a school district. When those measures are considered in addition to head count, Ark City schools come out at least even in terms of enrollment funding, compared to last year.

"In K-12, we are down with 72 fewer kids," Ballard said. "But the State of Kansas uses a system of weighted enrollment for vocational, at-risk and bilingual students."

In addition, the FTE measure for Ark City schools increases because there are 40 more children attending the four-year-old at-risk and prekindergarten programs compared to last year, he noted. These children are counted as 0.5 in FTE because they only attend classes for a half day.

Students who attend vocational classes receive an additional rating for the hours they spend in these classes, Ballard said. "We've increased 225 to 250 hours in vocational instruction this year compared to last year," he said.

Using the weighting formula on this increase in vocational "seat hours" brings added funding roughly equal to the amount received for eight to 10 students, he said.

"That's not getting into the increase we get for at-risk students, which amounts to five to 10 additional students," he said. "We're very confident we're at an even in weighted enrollment compared to last year, but we are down in total enrollment."

Ballard said that districts that are losing students are allowed by the state three options for figuring enrollment for the next school year's budget: the previous year's enrollment, the current year's enrollment or a three-year average.

For next year's budget, USD 470 could use an average figure of student enrollments from 2003, 2004 and 2005, he added.

"That way in one year, you never have a door slammed," he said.

In action Monday night, the board:

* Approved policy changes on student self-administration of medication and truancy that were recommended by the Kansas Association of School Boards. Students who have prescriptions or written direction from a health care provider may self-administer medication for anaphylaxis or asthma, including an inhaled bronchodilator or auto-injectible epinephrine. The student's parent or guardian must submit to the school updated permission forms annually.

* Approved specifications for two new school district fleet vehicles -- 2005 or 2006 Chevrolet Suburbans -- to replace older vehicles. Authorized bidding for the vehicles, which in the past have cost about $26,000 each, Ballard said.

* Heard a report on instructional techniques used at Ark City Middle School to achieve a 2005 Standard of Excellence award in math. Reports were given by Dave Zumwalt, principal, and seventh-grade math teachers Bob Squires and Mike Shimanek.