Five-Year Enrollment Study OK'd by Regional School Board

The West Morris Regional Board of Education has approved the expenditure of $3,000 to commission a five-year demographic study analyzing enrollment projections in both West Morris Central and Mendham high schools.

The board approved the measure at its meeting this week, which is expected to be delivered by January 1, 2016, Business Administrator Doug Pechanec said.

The report will start with the current enrollment reported Oct. 15 of this school year.

The firm conducting the analysis is Whitehall and Associates, the same firm that conducted the district’s last five-year projection.

“The resulting enrollments are used as a factor in determining the adequacy of the educational facilities,” Whitehall’s last report said.

A five-year projection is required by the New Jersey Department of Education. Whitehall’s last report showed a projected decrease of enrollment across the entire district, which came to fruition, but not to the extent reported in the analysis.