TUSTIN : District to Consider Hiring Demographer

The Tustin Unified School District will consider Monday a proposal to hire a demographer to study student enrollment in the district.

Tustin resident Joseph Herzig said a demographic study is necessary before the district decides whether to sell school properties identified as surplus.

The board did not act when the proposal was first presented on Sept. 13, and then deadlocked 2 to 2, with one board member absent, when it was presented again on Sept. 27.

With all five board members expected to be present Monday, the issues is expected to e resolved, officials said.

Supt. David Andrews has said that hiring a demographer is not necessary because the district’ enrollment projections have been close to the actual enrollment numbers in the past several years.

But Herzig and other residents who have supported the proposal said that the study will provide information that the school district does not have about potential enrollment growth in the district.

In his request, Herzig said that the cost of the study should not be more than $85,000, that it should be completed in seven months and that the demographer must hold a doctorate degree in demography.

In addition, he said the demographer must have three years’ experience and have made a similar study in at least three school districts. The demographer must also be picked from among five candidates.