Maine West is beginning to feel the shock of declining enrollment. Some of its effects, according to school officials, will be fewer teachers, fewer courses, and a shorter school day.

Statistics and projections show the decline. Freshmen enrollment, for example, will decrease from this school year's total of 700 to 550 at the beginning of next year. By 1983 administrators expect total enrollment for the four classes at Maine West to drop to about 2,000 students. That's a one‑third decrease over this year's total of 2,900 students. Total student population in the four Maine Township High Schools will go down from 10,600 to about 7,800 by 1983.

School officials are not making predictions beyond 1983 because, according to Principal James Coburn, "we don't have data that we find reliable." Still, Mr. Coburn and other administrators suspect that the enrollment decline will continue over at least the next 10 years.

As fewer students enter Maine West, more faculty members will leave. Over the next several years, for instance, about 40 teachers could lose their jobs each year. Of the 42 teachers leaving the district next year, nine will leave Maine West. Students will see a reduced staff in all areas, including fewer counselors, paraprofessionals, and administrators.

Some teachers who leave will be retiring voluntarily. The district is encouraging early retirement among those teachers between the ages of 55 and 60. But most faculty members who leave will not leave voluntarily. The pressures of declining enrollment will require their dismissal.

Fewer students also mean fewer courses and special programs. Declining enrollment means that the district will get less money from the state treasury. Thus the district may not have enough money to support as large a curriculum. Also, fewer students will mean less demand for some courses. In either case there will be program cuts.

Extra-curricular activities will probably also suffer cutbacks. According to Mr. Coburn, the athletic coaching staff may have to be reduced. If this would happen, some levels, such as freshman "B" teams, would probably be eliminated.

The administration is considering several ways to cope with course reduction. One possibility is to offer courses in alternate years. However, administrators feel that this option would not be good in skill courses, such as typing, where a student would loose some of the skill if there was no class for one year.

Declining enrollment will also affect school day. If the necessary lab facility extension continues on schedule, Mr. Coburn expects that, beginning in the 1981‑1982 academic year, the Maine West school day will be reduced to 8 periods. Each period will be longer, but the last period of the day will end at 3:10 instead of 3:27.

With 3,200 fewer students the District may not be able to economically support four high schools. So, according to Mr. Coburn, the District is seriously considering closing one high school.

Finally, there is the question of the effect of declining enrollment on the quality of education at Maine West. Will it seriously suffer? Most administrators think not.

Although there is a dispute over the effect on educational quality, teachers and administrators agree that teacher morale will be affected. Mr. Coburn believes that the decline in morale will come as teachers see the fact of declining enrollment creeping up on them and threatening their once secure job and future.