Chippewa Valley, New Haven Post Modest Growth for Fall 2011; L'Anse Creuse, Utica Decrease

While Oct. 5 may have seemed like any other Wednesday to local students, for district administrators, it was first and foremost count day–a critical date in the state funding calendar.

Count day, which is held once in the fall and and again in February, dictates how much state funding public schools get based on how many students show up on that date.

In the past, Wednesday’s attendance has counted for 75 percent of the state’s per pupil funding. This year, that worth was increased to 90 percent, meaning more dollars for districts with more bodies.

While Chippewa Valley Schools and New Haven Community Schools recorded slight increases in their student populations, Utica Community Schools and L'Anse Creuse Public Schools saw equally slight decreases.

The county as a whole saw an enrollment decrease of less than 1 percent, which Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Chief Academic Officer of Macomb Intermediate School District Judy Pritchett said is consistent with counts taken in the past three to four years.

"There were no surprises," Pritchett said. "(The numbers) tell us that people are still moving into Macomb. They are still in the county, and still enrolling students in public schools. Throughout the state we're seeing decreases, but we are just not seeing that in Macomb County."

For Chippewa Valley Schools, there was an increase of 93 students over last year, putting the district's student population at 16,324.

In financial terms, this increase, though small, means an additional $573,010, as the district receives 90 percent funding for each student at $6,846 per pupil. 

In New Haven Community Schools, Wednesday's tally showed an increased of 38 students, increasing the student population to 1,425.

"One year ago, we were in a unique position of having the largest percent increase in enrollment in the county," said New Haven Superintendent Keith Wunderlich. "We don’t know how the rest of the county fared this week, but we’re very happy to have an increase. We anticipate seeing losses in most districts."

Though the increase was small, New Haven will receive slightly more state funding this year than last year, meaning the district can "continue to develop additional opportunities for students," Wunderlich said. 

These opportunities include the addition of band and choir at the middle school level, the implementation of a K-12 alternative energy curriculum, and the new “library of the 21st century” at the high school. At the high school level, the district also added Mandarin Chinese this year.

L'Anse Creuse recorded 11,810 students, which was a 210 student decrease over last year's figures. Utica also experienced a drop in enrollment, recording 29,082 students, which was a decrease of 112 students from last year.

Wednesday's numbers are still unofficial, but significant changes are not expected in the coming weeks.

In Macomb County, a total of 137,479 students are enrolled in public and charter schools.