Prince William County public school leaders slashed student growth projections for the upcoming year by 819 students after an unprecedented midyear drop in student enrollment.

Superintendent Steven Walts rewrote his proposed budget this week after updated enrollment figures in March showed that at least 800 students left the county schools since September.

The new figures, if accurate, would save the school system more than $2.1 million next year.

Both critics and advocates of illegal immigration say the county’s high-profile crackdown on illegal immigration is responsible for the midyear drop, which included 630 students from programs for students learning English as a second language.

This story continues below
Advertisement

School officials now anticipate the student population will increase next year by 1,085 students, 43 percent below Walts’ original expectation of 1,904 new students.

“Our population rises every year. What we anticipate this year is it’s going to be a slower growth than normal,” schools spokeswoman Irene Cromer said.

The budget proposal also forced Walts to delay a $6.1 million construction project at Rippon Middle School, a 42-year-old building serving more than 1,200 students in Woodbridge.

The drop in enrollment growth is providing some relief as school officials battle through a difficult budget year in which they try to pay for the illegal immigration crackdown and build a new high school despite sharp reductions in home values.

However, some supervisors say the enrollment projection still may be too high as supervisors look to cut more from the $453 million the budget now sends to public schools.

Although the schools will save more than $6.2 million from the reduced enrollment, the state contribution will drop $4 million as a result, saving only $2 million, said Dave Cline, director of financial resources.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com