Summer Enrollment Up, SLSD Supt. Unsure Why

Calling the summer of 2013 both "busy" and "unusual," Southern Lehigh School District superintendent Leah Christman confirmed for board members Monday that the district's summer enrollment numbers had spiked significantly—but she said the reasons behind the spike remain unclear.

"As of (Monday), we still had more students coming in the door," Christman said, referring to the first day of school in the district. "We also had 56 withdrawals, but clearly that's far more than we've been experiencing."

In the past, Christman said the district hasn't closely tracked how many students enroll during the summer months because it hasn't typically varied significantly from year to year.

Other districts in the area also saw dramatic increases in their summer enrollment numbers this year, she said.

Christman told the board that she and other superintendents are planning to look into possible causes for the mysterious trend.

"Maybe the housing market is turning around. Maybe this is something to do with conditions in other districts. We're just not sure," she said.

Dealing with the last minute student additions has been "challenging, to say the least," she added.

Speaking to that issue, board member James Lindsay said he has heard from parents in the district who are grateful that the board recently voted to hire an additional elementary school teacher in order to deal with increasing class sizes.