The Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 School District lost more than $443,000 in state funding for the 2011-12 school year because enrollment dropped by 72 students, district records show.
Districts are mostly funded on the number of students who attend school, and Re-1 has continued to see its enrollment drop.
According to district records, student enrollment in the Re-1 decreased from 2,970 students last year to 2,898 for the 2011-12 school year.
The decrease of 72 students resulted in the district losing funding of $443,592 because schools in Colorado are paid $6,161 for every child who attends school.
The school with the biggest drop was Montezuma-Cortez High School, which decreased in students from 721 to 679, while Kemper Elementary saw its enrollment go from 404 to 363 students.
Compounding the problem was the states decision to cut the per pupil funding from $6,259 in 2010 to $6,161 which resulted in another decrease in funding of $283,000.
In 2009, enrollment in the district was 2,984 and the per pupil funding formula was almost $6,900, and the high schools enrollment in the same year was 760.
Re-1 School Board President Tim Lanier said it is his understanding that enrollment in the district has been dropping for the last eight to 10 years, and the statistics that the district provided for the last three years backed up his belief.
Lanier said one of the reasons for the decrease in Re-1 enrollment is based on economics where families are forced to relocate to find jobs.
He also said there are some families who have decided to take their children out of the Re-1 to enroll them in the Dolores schools to give them a better chance to succeed because of the issues the local district is facing, including low student achievement.
Lanier said high school sports is another factor. He said there have been a few instances where students transferred to Dolores because they could not get much playing time in certain sports.
A few that have gone over there for sports, he said.
He added that the majority of people who move to Cortez are retirees, so the district is not recouping the students whose families moved away.
Like Lanier, board member Pete Montaño said the economy is a big factor.
There are no good paying jobs here, he said, adding many parents need to look at better economic climates to support their children even if that means moving.
Montaño also thinks that if Re-1 can improve student achievement and help students succeed, parents would not feel the need to move their children to a nearby district.
Michael Maresh can be reached at michaelm@cortezjournal.com