FRHSD board makes plans
to update demographics
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
In an effort to update demographic figures, the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education is hearing presentations from firms that want to undertake that task.
During a workshop meeting held Oct. 28, Superintendent of Schools James Wasser said the figures the board is working with today are from 1999. He said a number of professionals will come before the board to discuss their plans to update the figures and the board will select someone to do the job.
In his presentation, Dr. Richard S. Grip, vice president, Statistical Forecas-ting Inc., Secaucus, said he would use several methods to determine future enrollments. He said the district is unusual since there are sending communities with high growth and others with low growth. He described several of the methods he would employ.
One technique Grip described attempts to forecast the number of children that will come from new homes in rapidly developing communities.
"In the northeast, a four-bedroom single-family home in this area would be approximately 0.9 children per household," Grip said.
He noted that the sale of older homes by couples whose children have grown up to younger families with children must also be considered.
He said he would rely on information provided by the FRHSD’s seven K-8 sending districts — Colts Neck, Farming-dale, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan-English-town and Marlboro.
Board member Terry Kraft of Howell asked how Grip could factor in any turnaround by homes that are 40 years old.
"That doesn’t happen at a rate you can project," Kraft said. "We also have a lot of land in Western Monmouth County. However, there has been an awful lot of stumbling blocks to builders in the past two to three years. We have a mixture of different trends that are hitting us at this time. That has to be taken into consideration."
Grip said present indicators have to be examined.
Wasser asked Grip how difficult it would be to use the data supplied by consultants from the elementary sending districts, noting there may be different degrees of accuracy.
Grip responded that it would be a "worrisome concern" if he were "stuck with them."
The demographer said he would then have to manipulate the date to account for that in the future. Grip indicated there has to be some flexibility and leeway.
The board is expected to hear presentations from representatives of other firms in the coming months.
Students from Howell attend the six schools in the Freehold Regional High School District.