The Pella School Board reviewed district enrollment numbers for the current academic year at their meeting Monday.

An official enrollment count was given for board review, with details about where new students are coming from — both living in and out of the district, and where outgoing students have moved or are currently open enrolling to. The certified number in 2020 is 2,139, which is down 48 students from 2019. Most of that loss is attributed to 32 families choosing to home school, which Superintendent Greg Ebeling says is a mostly a result of concerns over safety related to in-person learning during COVID-19.

The board also approved the installation of a donated Mini-Pitch soccer system at Lincoln Elementary. At the August 24th meeting, Musco Lighting and the U.S. Soccer Foundation proposed construction of a Mini Pitch in some of the green space at Lincoln at no cost to the district; the board asked for some considerations and modifications to the plan. A mini-pitch is a scaled down space for kids to play soccer with an artificial surface, making it playable year-round, but it will be open to the public outside of school hours only.

The board also approved a Pella FFA Livestock Teaching Farm Development agreement, the official district threat assessment process, the 400 series in the district handbook, and set a public hearing on November 23rd for the 2021-22 school calendar.