Enrollment numbers and morale were high, Lampasas Independent School District Superintendent Randy Hoyer said, when classes began Aug. 23 for the 2010-2011 school term.

With fewer facility changes to navigate than last year, when Taylor Creek Elementary and the new Lampasas High School opened, the first week of school went smoothly, Hoyer said.

“We had a year under our belts, and we weren’t doing this wholesale moving of teachers and classrooms,” he said.

Assistant Superintendent Nancy Yeary’s planning in preparation for recent staff development training helped staff start the school term well, Hoyer said, as did renovations and improvement projects at district facilities, which chief financial officer Shane Jones and maintenance director J.D. Butts oversaw.

Schedule cards in hand, students walk to their classes on the first day of school at Lampasas High School, one of three Lampasas Independent School District campuses that had higher enrollment on the first day of school than for the opening day of classes last year. PHOTO BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Most important, Hoyer said, teachers and students reported to class last Monday ready to improve upon the notable academic progress and testing gains LISD recorded last year.

“I think the teachers had a sense of pride and accomplishment,” the superintendent said, “and they came into this year looking forward to this year.”

A few minor technological glitches need to be resolved, he said, as LISD implements its CScope curriculum process and the district restructures its technology department, which has added two new positions.

CScope, which aligns curricula with each grade level and helps teachers plan what information each student needs to learn, is part of a broad effort to teach through digital technology, Hoyer said. Although teachers will continue to guide students’ education, new technology, he said, gives district staff important tools to instruct 21st century students more effectively.

Instructional technology coordinator Eric Folks and district Public Education Information Management System specialist Melissa Witcher will work with teachers and help implement new programs, leaving technology director Ron Poage more time to resolve hardware, software and network administration work orders across the district, Hoyer said.

LISD benefits not only from new technology staff, Hoyer said, but also from several new campus administrators. Dr. Kevin Bott, new Hanna Springs Elementary School principal, helped his campus to a strong first week of school, the superintendent said.

“I think he’s doing very, very well,” Hoyer said. “I’m very impressed ... with his organization, his knowledge, and I think he’s got a great rapport with parents and teachers.”

New assistant principals Wes Graham at Kline Whitis Elementary School and Renee Cummings at Taylor Creek Elementary also helped the transition to the new school year, Hoyer said.

“Those two campuses are also running extremely smoothly this year as a result of the extra administrative support,” he said.

Enrollment increased at several campuses compared to last year, and the district -- with a total student population of 3,334 on the first day of classes -- added 12 students compared to last year’s firstday figures.

The freshman class, with 288 students, boasted the largest enrollment, followed by the total district second-grade tally of 266. The first-day freshman tally was 14 students more than last year.

The LHS sophomore class reported 262 students, three more than last year, and the junior class increased by 12 students to 245.

The senior class posted the only year-to-year decline at Lampasas High School, as 214 students reported to school the first day. The high school began last year with 225 seniors.

Total high school enrollment increased to 1,009 — 18 students more than last year.

Enrollment decreased at Lampasas Middle School, where 771 students — compared to 793 last year — reported for the first day of classes. The eighth-grade class, with 265 students, was the campus’ largest, followed by the 260-pupil seventh-grade class. Those classes declined from 273 students apiece the first day of school in 2009. Just one fewer sixth-grader enrolled this year than last year, as 246 sixthgrade students were enrolled last Monday.

Hanna Springs reported 666 students, the highest enrollment of LISD’s three elementary campuses. Hanna Springs had 129 fifth-graders — five more than last year — 106 fourth-graders — 27 less than last year — and 99 third-graders, one more than last year. The 119 second-grade students represented an increase of 26 compared to last year, while the kindergarten class decreased by 18 to a total of 102. Kindergarten enrollment at Hanna Springs was 111 — 17 students more than last year. Total enrollment for the school increased by three compared to last year.

Kline Whitis’ enrollment of 446 increased by 14 compared to last year. The fifth-grade class dropped from 71 students last year to 59, fourth-grade enrollment increased by six to 60, and third grade — with 60 students — nearly matched last year’s first-day mark of 63. In the second grade, 66 students were enrolled, compared to 60 last year, and first-grade enrollment decreased by only two for a total of 65. The kindergarten class, with 79 pupils, increased by 26 students compared to last year.

Taylor Creek nearly matched last year’s first-day total, falling one student short with 442. The fifthgrade class increased to 72, a jump of 17, while the fourth-grade class declined by eight students, with a count of 67. The campus had 64 third-graders — two more than last year — and the second grade grew to 82, an increase of 18. Firstgrade numbers were down from 74 to 59, and the kindergarten total held relatively steady at 70 -- three students more than last year.

More accurate grade-by-grade and total district enrollment figures will be available soon after Labor Day, Hoyer said, as school districts typically gain some students after the holiday.