Like much of the rest of Oregon, the Sisters School District has seen a slight decrease in enrollment this year. The number of students, expected to be about 1,054 at this time, stands at 1,044, according to superintendent Steve Swisher.

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The state provides about $4,500 to the Sisters district for each student. With enrollment down by 10 students, the district could lose a significant chunk of anticipated state funds.

"That is about $45,000 less that we had planned in the budget. We would be short that revenue if this trend continues," Swisher said.

If it does, and adjustments are not made, the shortfall would cut the district's budgeted $100,000 contingency fund nearly in half.

The district may save a little in the transportation budget, and Swisher said the district would carefully monitor energy expenditures. A mild winter could change what the district pays for oil and heat.

Besides payroll,"that is probably the other largest piece of money to look at that is not absolutely locked in," Swisher said.

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He explained that under current state funding formulas, some money received from the state is limited for special purposes, such as the retirement of debt or the purchase of equipment. It may not be used for salaries.

It is too early to determine what will have to be done, if anything, according to the superintendent. The district gained four students in October, and Swisher said that "we have some indication that one family with three children and another family with five children may move in to the district."

He said that in any case, no decisions about adjustments will be made until after the count taken on the first Monday of December. This is one of two average daily memberships the state uses to determine a district's funding for the year. (ADM includes modifications of the actual student count, such as counting each kindergartner as 1/2 an ADM, and some special needs students as 2 ADM.)

Any adjustments in staffing, if required, would be made sometime in the first three weeks of January. Adjustments include the possibility of a reduction in support staff, such as education assistants or temporary teachers, as well as reducing maintenance staff and could include laying off teaching staff.

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"First of all we will look at administrative decisions. If (cuts) become programmatic, like losing a teacher or a program, that would be a school board decision," Swisher said.

The elementary and middle schools start a new section right after the December break, which is when any adjustments would be made if required in those schools.

The high school has its semester transition in the third week of January. That would be a natural time to add or subtract a course at that facility, according to Swisher. It would probably be easier to push the student teacher ratio higher at the high school, Swisher indicated.

Still, it may be that no cuts will be required. Swisher said he was "encouraged at the slight upturn in our enrollment (since October) and the possibility of additional families."

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He also noted that the student population in the entire state impacts what Sisters receives, and since enrollment in the entire state appears to be down slightly, "this means we may get a little more per student."