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The Hayden School Board will begin the long process of establishing a 2005-06 budget by reviewing preliminary figures tonight.

Projected enrollment is one of the biggest considerations in shaping the general budget , superintendent Mike Luppes said.

State funding is based largely on student numbers.

In September, shortly after school started, the district reported having 444 students, about 12 fewer than the same time last year. Most of the shortfall came at Hayden Valley Elementary School, which had 20 fewer students than at the end of the 2003-04 school year.

There just aren't that many families with small children moving to Hayden, Luppes said.

"That's where we're seeing the impact in declining enrollment -- in the number of students entering kindergarten," he said.

Peabody Energy's plans to close Seneca coal mine by the end of the year also may affect enrollment, though the district probably won't feel it until the 2006-07 school year.

Even then, however, the effects might be minimal because many parents who work at the mine are long-time residents who are not likely to leave the Yampa Valley, Luppes said.

The district plans to have a budget ready for review in June with final approval occurring in the fall.

Also tonight, the board plans to accept a retirement request from Mark Wilson, who has taught industrial arts at Hayden Middle School and Hayden High School for about 20 years.

He plans to retire after the 2005-06 school year.

In other district business, Luppes confirmed that all regular district bus drivers have received drug testing compliant with state standards for school bus drivers and commercial drivers' licenses.

Concerned a bus driver may have refused a drug test, a group of parents in December recommended that the district require all drivers not yet tested to be tested by the end of 2004.

The district tests randomly selected drivers each quarter under the monitoring of a contracted company, Luppes said.

"I believe all of our regular transportation employees have been tested since the beginning of the school year," he said.

The district has five regular route bus drivers. The School Board does not plan to discuss bus driver drug testing at tonight's meeting.