Chippewa Valley, Fraser and Clintondale Report Enrollment Increases; L'Anse Creuse Sees Drop

Fall count day results were mixed in Clinton Township, with Chippewa Valley, Fraser and Clintondale districts reporting an increase in enrollment, Utica Community Schools staying relatively level and L’Anse Creuse Public Schools seeing a decrease.

Count day, which is held once in October and again in February, dictates the amount of state funding public schools receive relative to the number of students who attend on those particular dates.

The formula for funding was changed last year, and a district's fall count day attendance now counts for 90 percent of the state’s per pupil funding, up from 75 percent the year before.

For Chippewa Valley, which saw an increase of about 200 students over its fall 2011 numbers, this will mean an additional $700,000 in revenue from what the district anticipated when it made its budget in June.

“We did a little better than we thought with student enrollment this fall,” said Diane Blain, Chippewa Valley Schools director of school and community relations. The increase in enrollment brings the district’s total student population to 16,517, though these numbers are unaudited and may change slightly before being finalized.

Fraser Public Schools and Clintondale Community Schools also saw their populations increase, with Fraser adding around 54 students and Clintondale around 60. This increase will translate into $431,000 in additional state funding for Fraser and a similar total for Clintondale, though the exact amount is unknown.

Utica Community Schools' student population was recorded at 28,839, which is less than a percentage point decrease over last year's totals.

"Our enrollment is stabilizing as we begin to see more families moving into our community," said Tim McAvoy, district director of school and community relations. "A very positive sign is an approximately 60 student increase in the projected number of kindergarten students."

With so little change in its student count, the district can expect state funding to stay on par with the previous year.

On the other side of the township, L’Anse Creuse saw its numbers fall by about 183 students, but Superintendent Jackie Johnston said this decline was expected.

“We anticipated a drop in enrollment due to state-wide lower birth rates and our comprehensive budget process accounted for this decline,” Johnston said. “We are therefore committed and positioned to continue to provide a quality educational program to the students in our community.”

The total student population in L’Anse Creuse is now 11,644, according to estimates. Kelly Allen, director for public and community relations, said the district has attributed the decline partly to the graduation of a large senior class in 2012 and lower kindergarten enrollment in recent years.

But what this decrease would mean in terms of lost revenue for the district is still being calculated.

Chippewa Valley continues to crunch its numbers as well, but Blain said despite the revenue increase, the district still expects to have an operating deficit next year. The extent of this deficit has yet to be determined. 

Districts across the state will receive their 2012-13 allocations based on blended counts from February 2012 and Oct. 3. Attendance on the February date counts for 10 percent of a district's per pupil funding.

As a result of changes to Section 25 of the State School Aid Act, school districts will now be able to collect state funding on behalf of students that were counted by another district on the count day and transfer after the count day.

For every day these students are in attendance, districts will receive a daily prorated amount of state aid. The district which counted the pupil on the count day will have its state funding reduced proportionately.