MARYSVILLE – The state legislature finally has approved more money for schools, but Marysville isn’t going to be able to spend it.

That’s because enrollment is down by 160 full-time students, costing the district $1.38 million.

The school board discussed attendance, along with a possible school building bond, at its work session Oct. 12.

The school district asked a Citizen Advisory Committee to study its school facilities. The panel would like to replace Cascade and Liberty elementary schools as priorities at a ballpark price of $25 million each. It would also like to replace Marysville Middle School for about $50 million. It would like to see major upgrades at all schools at a cost of about $20 million. If the district replaces Marysville-Pilchuck High School, the cost would be $90 million. But another option would be to put $40 million into M-P and replace Totem Middle School for $50 million.

The total pricetag would be $210 million. The estimated cost per thousand valuation for property owners would be 88 cents. The tax on a $300,000 home would be about $264 a year.

All that is preliminary. The district will be using its online Thought Exchange program to gather information from the public.

Board member Chris Nation expressed concern about the growing cost of building schools.

“It’s totally different construction now than five years ago,” board president Tom Albright said.

As for enrollment, the district is going to study attendance so it can more-accurately predict the budget in the future.

The district had planned on 10,760 students, but now is figuring on 10,600. As a result, it is looking at making almost $1.04 million in cuts.

District officials pointed out that the cuts are not really reductions because it is all new money from the legislature. Finance director Jim Baker said the district still is getting $10 million more than last year.

“We’re still going forward,” he said.

“Just not as far as we want,” board member Pete Lundberg added.

“Some good things for kids we’ll have to hold back,” Baker said.

Some of the reductions will be in new security positions, maintenance, motor pool, building budgets, instructional materials and the new breakfast program at Quil Ceda-Tulalip Elementary.

Nation pointed out that school districts in general are noting lower enrollment.

“It’s happening everywhere,” he said.

Baker and assistant superintendent Ray Houser gave a number of theories on why, but they said they lack expertise in depth and analysis.

They admitted they had no idea where 41 students went.

“It’s a mystery Ray and I are going to dig deeper on,” Baker said.

They did say some of the students were relocated because of transient work or family reasons.

“They went all over the place,” Houser said. “Some went back to Mexico, but there was no real pattern.”

For the first time since Baker can remember, numbers were down from kindergarten to first grade.

“Usually they bounce up,” he said.

They noted that 30 more students than usual are in Running Start, where they attend a local community college rather than stay in high school their junior and senior years.

They said the district no longer accepts out-of-district students in one of its alternative education programs, so they are down 28 there.

They did say the number of freshmen at Marysville-Pilchuck and Marysville Getchell high schools is up, while the number in alternative programs is down.

“We’re trying to put kids in programs where they can be successful,” Houser said, adding brick-and-mortar schools still are better than online programs.

Baker said some folks are moving because they can’t afford to live here, but Superintendent Becky Berg said new apartments being built near Lakewood should change that.

Baker suggested that numbers fluctuate because of military families, but Houser pointed out that two new ships are coming to Everett.

“We’ll take our time and get it right,” Berg said of figuring out enrollment.