MI school districts insist they need more money for fewer students

By Tom Gantert | Michigan Capitol Confidential

While advocates for more money for public schools say school districts are facing a financial crisis, one point they concede is underplayed: the districts claiming distress overwhelmingly have declining enrollments.

So, should a district that has fewer students to teach each year receive more money?

While districts with as differing demographics as Alpena and Detroit and Ashley and Flint ran deficits, they shared one common characteristic — declining enrollment. In fact, 39 of the 47 conventional public schools in deficit in 2012-13 had declining enrollments from 2008-09 to 2012-13.

The state has increased overall state funding to K-12 education from $12.9 billion in 2012-13 to $13.4 billion in 2013-14.

at Michigan Capitol Confidential.

The post MI school districts insist they need more money for fewer students appeared first on Watchdog.org.