SUMMIT COUNTY — The economic recession won’t have much effect on Summit School District’s state funding for 2009-10, but declining enrollment and the timing lag on funding could spell trouble in future school years.

“Overall we’re very stable,” said district assistant superintendent Karen Strakbein. “We made lots of changes in the budget last year to make sure we would be stable — and (to) make sure we’re able to maintain what we provide currently.”

For 2009-10, the district’s budget is to be increased by about 2.5 percent, relative to an increase of about 3.2 percent for the previous year, she said.

The state annually increases education funding for inflation plus one percent.

“That inflation rate is through using data that’s approximately a year old, so it doesn’t have the huge downturn in the economy yet,” Strakbein said. “I don’t believe — in the history of the School Finance Act — it has ever been negative.”

The state Legislature next year will decide how profoundly the economy effects school funding.

Last year’s inflation rate actually gave the school district a 4.9 increase for 2009-10.

But 1.93 percent is frozen until January 2010, when the state will determine whether these finances can be spent. And another 0.52 percent — based on number of pupils — has been taken out since March.

For the foreseeable future, the Summit district has firm footing. After making $2 million in cuts last summer, it no longer relies on mill-levy finances to support salaries of teachers and staff.

But pupil numbers, a significant factor in state funding, aren’t expected to grow.

District superintendent Millie Hamner said that for the first time, Summit schools are projecting enrollment “slightly down” by about 24 students for the next school year.

Strakbein said that previously the district annually grew by between 20 and 30 students.

This year to date, enrollment is down 31 students — or about 1 percent — since the Oct. 1 official count of 3,098.

Strakbein said Dillon Valley Elementary is down 32 students and Summit High School is down 30, but other schools’ numbers have slightly increased. Information on where the students went was unavailable.

“Our staffing is certainly based on the number of students as well,” Strakbein said, adding that staff are moved among buildings depending on student numbers.

CMC Summit anticipates increased enrollment

Folks at Colorado Mountain College Summit Campus anticipate a possible increase in enrollment this fall.

“For us, it is more likely people will come back here and pick up core courses,” said CMC Summit CEO Alton Scales. “And we hope it pans out that way.”

He also said community colleges and master’s programs typically “experience a little boom” during recessions because they can often be completed in two years or less.

Scales said he’s spoken with colleagues at universities as well as parents who say some students are expected to attend their local colleges for general-education classes.

“It’s really a much better value,” Scales said. “And we will be prepared because we will be in our new (Breckenridge) building for the fall semester.”