Skills center reaches state enrollment requirement, ponders ways to stay there

PORT ANGELES — The North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center reached the state’s enrollment requirement in February after falling below the requirement last year and in the first semester of the 2007-08 school year.

The skills center, which has had an exemption from the state since its inception, has never reached the required 150 fulltime equivalency enrollments required in the first semester, but did reach it between 2004 and 2006 in the second semesters, Port Angeles School District Superintendent Gary Cohn said.

The center aims to reach a goal of more than 200 sustained enrollment.

The center, at 905 W. Ninth St., is a partnership among five public school districts — Port Angeles, Sequim, Cape Flattery, Quillayute Valley and Crescent.

It is overseen in the Port Angeles School District’s budget.

The 2006-07 school year averaged about 117 enrollments — well below the requirement of 150 students.

In February, the center is averaging 153 students.

Jacob Jackson, skills center director, said the staff is working to maintain that throughout the semester.

It had teetered on the edge of reaching the requirements in November, with 146.7 full time equivalency enrollment, and December with 149.

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