“It’s been a long day but it’s been a great day.”  That’s how Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Superintendent Allen Bourff described the first day of classes in his school district.

Dr. Bourff told school board members Wednesday night that one way to gauge enrollment in the new school year can be measured in no shows and new enrollments.  In the buildings he visited on the first day of school, there were as many new enrollments as there were no shows.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for HSE Schools, Mike Reuter, told the board his data indicated just over 400 new students this school year, with a total of about 100 no shows so far.  The enrollment on the third Friday of September will be turned into the state as the official enrollment figure.

The kindergarten class looks to be at 1,472 pupils.  The senior class for the 2017-2018 school year is at 1,621.  The largest class is the 8th grade this school year.

Reuter told the board enrollment numbers at HSE Schools are beginning to stabilize.

In other school board news, approval was given to negotiate with the architectural firm Fanning-Howey to design plans at New Britton Elementary School, replacing the mechanical, heating, and air conditioning systems, as well as provide updates to the interior spaces bringing the school up to HSE-21 standards.  The work, budgeted at $5.3 million, is scheduled to begin during the summer of 2018 and be finished about a year later.    This project is one component of a ten-year plan to maintain buildings throughout the HSE district.