School funding is based off how many students are in each school
VANDERBILT, MI -- Every student counts and on Wednesday, struggling schools hoped absences were down and children were in class.
Twice a year, schools do a student head count and Wednesday was one of those days.
The number of students is a major factor in how much revenue the districts will get from the state.
Some schools use big and small incentives to get kids in class on this important day.
In Vanderbilt, “School Count Day” coincides with “Student Appreciation Day.” The students get a special treat. It’s because school administrators say in a small school like this one, it's imperative every person is counted.
“Ice cream bribes people," laughs one Vanderbilt student.
And if bribery is what it takes, it's a small price to pay in the big picture. Wednesday, Vanderbilt students weren't only served the most popular lunch, called the "walking taco," the school sweetened the deal with community donated, all-you-can-eat ice cream.
"It’s important for everyone to be here because if one person doesn't show up, then it's a big difference," said student Jake Ormsbee.
"Every dollar is extremely important, with all the cuts education has received, we can't afford to lose any of those students and the more students we get, the better off financially we are," said Vanderbilt Principal Michelle Kihn.
Here's how the funding works with Vanderbilt as the example: 155 students are enrolled, and each student receives about $7,400. 90 percent of the year's funding comes from the October count, which equals $1,032,300 in its yearly state funding.
The number of students is up one from last year. The other 10 percent in funding comes from a head count in February.
“We're small, we're struggling, we're doing whatever we can to get our numbers up, we have a great school, a great staff that's dedicated," said Kihn.
Traverse City had similar incentives Wednesday, including several schools having special lunches and activities to urge filled seats.
“The enrollment for TCAPS has been staying very steady, so this change to the 90 percent funding isn't going to have a huge impact on us, our enrollment is pretty steady and actually may be a little ahead of last year," said Traverse City Area Public Schools employee Chris Davis.
Still, both districts say with reduced state funding, revenue is more important than ever.
We also talked with Cadillac schools. They counted 95 fewer students from last year, a number the superintendent says isn't surprising because families are leaving the area to look for work.
Schools do have an extended window to count the students who had excused absences because of sickness.
