September 24 was student count day and much as Van Buren Public Schools administrators had projected, student enrollment was down.
Advertisement
"The unofficial count was 5,935," director of instruction and personnel Dr. Linda Olson said, adding that the count would not be official for 30 days.
"When you look at this year there would be nothing to indicate that number and the February count will determine next year's state aid," she said.
The February count is the basis for 25 percent of the following years' state aid while the September count determines 75 percent of the monies available.
The Van Buren Public Schools is still reeling from the loss of 420 students, each representing approximately $7,800 per pupil in state aid.
Retirement and health insurance costs also have taken a financial toll on the district Olson said.
Earlier this month, the district's school board approved the cutting of 24 teachers and last week cut four paraprofessionals.
In total, the district faces a $4.5 million deficit.
"However, we have not cut any cuts in programs," Olson said.
"We also have helped several teachers that we laid off gain new employment."
Van Buren is not the only school district in Michigan feeling the financial pinch from losing students.
The Detroit Public Schools stand to lose the most from the Sept. 24 count.
While the unofficial numbers ranged from 88 to 96,000 students enrolled, the Detroit Public Schools acknowledged they had fallen below the 100,000 mark.
That number of students is needed for that district to maintain its first class district status.
Due to the plunging numbers in enrollment, two suburban and community colleges will be able to open charter schools within the city's boundaries, further threatening the February count day for next year's tally.
The Saginaw Intermediate School District, made up of 13 smaller districts, lost a total of more than 1,200 students this year.
Bay City and Midland are in the same boat as Saginaw.
Those districts lost over 200 students each though both projected they would lose about that number of students.
With almost the entire state facing a decline in the number of students enrolled, districts blame the plummeting numbers on families leaving the state due to the economy and lack of jobs, the opening of charter schools and a perception of lack of safety in the public schools.
So important is count day that schools added incentives for students to attend class on that day.
Ice cream, parties, relaxed dress codes, raffles and even the grand prize of a Saturn Vue- from the Westwood Community Schools in Dearborn Heights- were used to lure students to class.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
TOP JOBS
