A continuing decline in enrollment means the number of teachers at Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School may be cut next year.
Douglas County Superintendent Carol Lark and Principal Robbin Pedrett met with parents on Wednesday night to discuss the school's future.
In all 848 students attend the middle school, located in the Gardnerville Ranchos and built in the 1990s to handle burgeoning student growth.
"We've faced this for the last two years," Lark said. "We're down 186 students. It's simply demographics and the location of the school. It has really hit that area more than most of our schools."
Many of those who attended Wednesday's meeting were parents of sixth-graders whose children will be going to Pau-Wa-Lu in the fall.
The school will lose five teaching positions because of the decrease. Due to the lower enrollment, the school will decrease the number of English and math sections.
"We did have to eliminate a couple of electives," Lark said. "The principal makes that decision based on staffing and licensing. But we will still have solid academic offerings that by and large they've had all along."
Parents expressed concern that home economics is among the electives eliminated due to the drop.
Mary Gmuender, whose son Logan is in the seventh grade at Pau-Wa-Lu, said Thursday parents were concerned about equity between the two middle schools.
"Mostly we just begged for equality and for the district to think creatively instead of just cutting things," she said.
"It scares me to think more parents might pull out and send their kids to CVMS and cut more classes at Pau-Wa-Lu," Gmuender said. "Then Pau-Wa-Lu will look like such a weak little school. We don't want that. We take pride in our school. I don't even like to think about the great teachers that they're losing."
Gmuender said she was concerned at the reported loss of technology and home and careers electives.
"It just makes me sick to think about those beautiful classrooms that are going to be dark with all the equipment just sitting there," she said.
She also said a smaller student body will put the school at a "huge disadvantage" in sports.
Lark said that at present Pau-Wa-Lu has more electives than Carson Valley Middle School.
"We really do value equity for all of our students," she said. "We want to provide the best education possible. But we also have to be fiscally responsible to our taxpayers. There's no way we can't cut positions if we lose students."
Lark said so far the district has been able to compensate by moving teachers or through retirement incentives.
"Overall, the entire district is losing 2-3 percent per year," she said.
Most of that enrollment loss is at Lake Tahoe, where the district plans to close Kingsbury Middle School in 2009.
"The Valley is also losing enrollment but not significantly," she said. "It is fairly stable but we do have bubbles. Schools in the north Valley are gaining. Piñon Hills and Jacks Valley have full buildings, Scarselli is maxed out and may add two teachers."
