PARACHUTE, Colo.—Enrollment in two small western Colorado school districts is down this year amid a slump in the natural gas industry.
Garfield County School District 16, which serves the Parachute area, reported a 13 percent decline to about 1,250 students. De Beque (dih-BEK’) School District 49-JT reported an 8 percent decline to about 150 students.
Ken Hatonstall, superintended of the Garfield district, says the district had been growing by about 10 percent a year because of the energy boom.
De Beque Superintendent Marty Lucas is new to the district and isn’t sure of the reasons behind the slump.
Other districts are faring better. Meeker School District RE-1 is up about 3 percent and Garfield RE-2, which includes the towns of Rifle and New Castle, is down less than 1 percent.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
