Over the past five years, Geneseo CUSD 228 has seen a small drop in student enrollment. At the same time, the district has added teachers, support staff, and administrators. At first, that might seem surprising. If there are fewer students, why would a school district need more staff? A closer look at the data suggests the answer may be tied to changing student needs.
Fewer Students Overall
According to Illinois Report Card data, enrollment in Geneseo schools decreased from about 2,511 students in the 2020-21 school year to about 2,434 students in 2024-25.
That's a decrease of roughly 77 students, or about 3%.
More Staff
While enrollment went down slightly, the number of certified staff members increased.
District staffing plans show certified staffing grew from 177 positions in 2020-21 to 186 positions in 2024-25.
Teacher positions increased from 166 to 172, and administrative positions increased from 11 to 13.
Positions added during that time included:
More English teachers
More math teachers
More science teachers
More social studies teachers
An additional fifth-grade teacher
An instructional coach
Career and Technical Education (CTE) staff
A certified school nurse
A CARES Social-Emotional Learning classroom position
An Administrative Coach
A CTE Director
Most of those additions occurred between 2020-21 and 2022-23. Staffing levels have remained fairly steady since then.
Student Needs Increased
Although there were fewer students overall, several measures show that student needs increased during the same period.
More Low-Income Students
The percentage of students classified as low-income rose noticeably.
In 2020, about 23% of students were considered low-income. By 2025, that number had grown to nearly 30%.
More Students Receiving Special Education Services
The percentage of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) also increased. (An IEP is a plan created for students who qualify for special education services.)
Over the five-year period, the percentage of students with IEPs increased from 11.7% to 14.4%.
More Students Missing School Regularly
Attendance has also become a bigger challenge since the COVID-19 pandemic. (A student is considered chronically absent when they miss 18 or more days during the year- whether with or without an excuse.)
The district's chronic absenteeism rate nearly tripled compared with 2020-21 and remains much higher than it was before the pandemic.
What Does This Mean?
The data suggests the situation is more complicated than simply having fewer students.
Several things happened at the same time:
Enrollment went down slightly.
The percentage of low-income students increased.
More students received special education services.
Chronic absenteeism increased.
The district added staff in both teaching and administrative roles.
Some of the new positions appear to be connected to supporting students with additional needs. Examples include the certified nurse, social-emotional learning programs, instructional coaching, and expanded Career and Technical Education offerings.
Looking Ahead
Taken together, the numbers suggest that district leaders were responding not only to enrollment changes but also to the growing needs of students.
Higher rates of poverty, special education services, and absenteeism can require additional staff and support, even when total enrollment is declining.
Geneseo's experience reflects a challenge many school districts across Illinois have faced since the pandemic: having fewer students does not necessarily mean having fewer needs.
While enrollment declined modestly, several measures of student need moved in the opposite direction, helping explain why staffing levels increased during the same period.