An October count of student populations in Eastern Upper Peninsula schools reveals a continuation of the downward trend that school administrators have noted in the past five years. Five of nine schools interviewed reported student numbers are down this year, while three reported growth in student populations. Pickford Public Schools has 425 students enrolled this year, the same as last year.

For most schools, the number of students enrolled from one year to the next impacts the district’s bottom line. This is because the state contributes money for each student enrolled, tentatively set this year at a maximum of $6,875 per student, an increase of $175 over last year. The funding, called foundation allowance, comes from homestead property taxes, two percent of the Michigan sales tax, and state lottery proceeds. The state contributes foundation allowance funding to districts that do not raise sufficient non-homestead property taxes within their district to completely fund the schools, a system which encompasses most of the schools in Michigan. A handful of schools in the state, including Mackinac Island, Mackinaw City, and Gros Cap School in Moran Township, do not qualify for foundation allowance funds because the money raised by non-homestead tax collections in those districts is sufficient to completely fund those schools. For all other districts, declining enrollments mean a loss of state dollars.

St. Ignace Area School Funded for 789 Students This Year

“Enrollments since 1999 have been declining, little bit by little bit,” said Mike Springsteen, superintendent of St. Ignace Area Schools, who reported 781 students attending this fall compared to 796 last year. “Last year, for whatever reason, we were up a little bit in the fall, but this year is more a reflection of the decline we have been seeing.” In the past six years, Mr. Springsteen said, the school district has noted a drop averaging just over eight students a year, a decline of 50 students over that time span, which he attributes in part to a declining birth rate. He said planners expect the trend to continue at that rate in area schools for the next few years.

“Families are smaller than they were 30 years ago,” Mr. Springsteen said. “The declining birth rate has been documented. We have a fairly consistent population in the city, but the population is aging. In this area, there are not a lot of jobs to attract young workers. That is a trend in the state, but it really gets magnified in an area like ours.”

Arriving at a student population number for the district is not as simple as merely counting the students, Mr. Springsteen explained. School districts now use a “blended count,” which is a weighted average of students counted in the fall with students counted in the winter. Because sparsely populated districts with declining enrollment are allowed to use a student population number averaged over the last three years, St. Ignace Area Schools actually uses an enrollment number of 789 for funding purposes this year. As reported in The St. Ignace News October 20, a recent audit of the school revealed a better financial outlook than anticipated for this year, owing in part to cost savings on planned school purchases, population figures, the state per-pupil funding hike, and tight bookkeeping practices.

Loss of 40 at Les Cheneaux

Will Mean Cuts Next Year

Les Cheneaux Community Schools reported a drop of 40 students this year, the largest in the area. Superintendent Rod Goehmann said 375 students are enrolled this year, compared to 415 students last year.

“We saw this coming, but not to this degree,” Mr. Goehmann said. “We were hoping for 385 students this year. There is a big differential between outgoing senior classes and incoming kindergarten classes. Declining birth rates across the Upper Peninsula continue to mean declining numbers in our schools.”

The loss in funding will mean the school district will dip into its fund equity to maintain programs this year, he said. “We can maintain that for this year, but next year there will have to be budget reductions.”

Engadine Schools Enrollment Meets Expectations at 265

Engadine Consolidated Schools has 265 students enrolled this year, almost matching the 266 students the School Board had estimated when budgeting. The district had 10 more students last year, said Superintendent Jim Wilcoxin.

“What I see over the last few years is that kindergarten classes are not as big as they used to be,” Mr. Wilcoxin said. “That’s the trend. Maybe families just aren’t as large. Engadine, 30 years ago, had about 500 kids in the school. Families used to be a lot bigger.”

Mr. Wilcoxin said while school administrators are happy about the per-pupil funding hike this year, but noted that rising costs of heat and bus fuel this year will quickly offset the increase.

“Any increase is better than nothing, and we are happy they increased it, but $175 isn’t going to go very far,” he said.

Mackinac Island School Gains Nine Students

One of the schools to report an enrollment surge this fall is Mackinac Island Public School, which grew in population from 72 students last year to 81 this year.

The growth does not impact funding for the district, said Superintendent Jack Dehring, because the school is one of a few in the state that does not qualify for foundation allowance.

“We look forward to a good school year,” Mr. Dehring said. “We are up in student population, and we like to see that. It’s good to have students to fill those seats.”

Mr. Dehring did note at a September school board meeting that student numbers may continue to fluctuate during the school year, as a few students move off-Island when seasonal businesses close late in the fall.

Gros Cap School Notes Enrollment Drop of Nine

Eighty students are enrolled at Gros Cap School in Moran Township this year, down from 89 a year ago, said Superintendent Bill Peltier. The school is completely funded by property taxes, he said.

“The foundation allowance has no bearing on Gros Cap School,” Mr. Peltier said. “Money from our school is not coming from the state but from local non-homestead property owners. There are only a few schools, last year I think it was seven schools, in the state that operate on non-homestead property tax only. One way to look at it is that through their contribution to homestead property taxes, people who live on Mackinac Island, and at Gros Cap and Mackinaw City are helping to fund education for other areas throughout the state.” Rather than drawing foundation allowance funds from the state, he explained, homestead taxpayers in the district are putting money “into the pot” of state funds for education. Lottery money and sales tax also plays a part in the state’s funding of education, he said.

Mackinaw City School Loses Two Students;

High Gas Prices Take 8 to 10 from School of Choice

There are 231 students enrolled this fall at Mackinaw City Public School, down just two students from last year. Adding four-year-old students in the school’s preschool program, however, brings the total number of youngsters at the school to 246, said Superintendent Jeff Curth.

While the state’s foundation allowance funding does not affect Mackinaw City school district, the rising cost of gasoline this year has hit the school in an area that last year was strong: the school of choice program. Last year, the choice option drew some 60 students from neighboring Cheboygan and Pellston districts. The program represented at least 25 percent of the district’s enrollment, making it a strong factor in student numbers at the school. A more typical draw of school of choice students would be roughly 10 percent to 15 percent, Mr. Curth said.

“We are holding our own, but gas prices have hurt school of choice for us,” Mr. Curth told The St. Ignace News . “We have lost eight or 10 students this fall because families can’t afford to drive the extra 20 or 25 minutes. They are not choosing to go to the districts they live in, but instead they are being home schooled.”

Mr. Curth noted that high district test scores, for example scoring three points higher than the state and national average on the ACT college admission test, have drawn students from neighboring districts to Mackinaw City in recent years.

Rudyard Area Schools Budgets for 1,000, Enrolls 1,003

An unofficial count at Rudyard Area Schools reveals a population of 1,003 students this year, up from 1,000 a year ago. Population remained fairly consistent, as anticipated, said Superintendent Nancy Berkompas. “We balanced the budget on 1,000.”

Times are tight for school funding at all Michigan schools right now, Mrs. Berkompas said. “We are, of course, looking at all options for constraining our budget,” she said of managing the district’s finances. “We are keeping our students uppermost and we are not planning any cuts to academics, sports, or fine arts. Efficiency is the biggest issue, and we want to take a look at each thing we do, and ask ourselves, ‘Are we doing this efficiently?’”

Enrollment Surge Boosts Bottom Line at DeTour Area Schools

DeTour Area Schools has 236 students enrolled this year, compared to 220 last fall and 230 last winter semester. Interim Superintendent Angela Reed said a few families moved into the district, and class sizes are still in the desirable range, with 20 to 25 students in high school classes.

Most of the district’s revenue comes from property taxes, she said, although the district does receive a portion of the foundation allowance funds that other area schools get. As waterfront property values continue to rise in the district, she pointed out, more and more of the district’s funding will come from non-homestead property taxes, and proportionately less will be needed from the state’s foundation allowance.

Mrs. Reed, formerly the district’s principal for kindergarten through 12th grade, replaces Joe Powers as superintendent. Mr. Powers took a position as school superintendent in Grayling. Mrs. Reed now serves as interim superintendent and elementary school principal, while special education teacher Angela Nettleton serves as middle school and high school principal in addition to teaching half-time.

“This is an interim solution, while the school board is considering how to fill positions and whether to conduct a full superintendent search,” Mrs. Reed said.