—
With Michigan’s fall student count day set for tomorrow, school leaders across the state are urging families to make sure students show up — because attendance directly affects how much funding districts receive.
Student count day is when all public schools in Michigan tally attendance numbers, and those totals translate into dollars for districts. Count days and school funding are mandated through the State School Aid Act, meaning districts must have students in their seats to be counted in order to receive funding.
“Count Day is very important and is more vital now than it’s ever been,” Flint Community Schools Superintendent Kevelin Jones said.
Jones said the number of students who come to class is tied to how much money the district receives. “You have to have students enrolled in order to be able to continue to move the district forward,” she said.
Funding allocated to schools from the school aid budget is based on the number of students enrolled, which is how districts are able to pay for teachers.
State school board President Dr. Pamela Pugh said the stakes are high for schools trying to secure resources.
“We need our children to show up to be in their seats. And that count is what determines the resources, the precious and much needed resources that those schools get for our children to be able to learn,” Pugh said.
Jones emphasized that count day is part of a longer window. “We want to make sure every student is accounted for in our district. It’s important for Flint,” she said.
Count day started in 1979. While the concept has not changed much, Jones said the public school system has, and districts now face more competition for enrollment and staffing.
“We were only competing in athletics and quiz bowl and things of that nature. But now having to compete in an arena for kids, enrollment, to compete for teachers, to compete in the special education area where now everyone is scattered out and you don’t have enough staff,” Jones said.
Jones said that competitive environment — including charter schools and schools of choice — has made count day a bigger focus.
“Where we’re competing with charter schools. We’re competing with schools of choice, right? And all of that causes us to have to send out flyers and do all of these other things and ask teachers to have something special and principals to add. That’s the real deal of it,” she said.
Jones said schools throughout Flint Community Schools have plans to make tomorrow special to encourage attendance, including appearances by Mickey Mouse and serving chicken and waffles.
Fall count day represents 90% of a district’s annual per-pupil funding. The remaining 10% is determined by a second count day in February.
