The Brandon School District began accepting schools of choice applications for the 2009-2010 school year Friday, but even with several Pontiac and Flint schools closing, Pupil Services Coordinator Patti Dixon does not expect a dramatic increase in students.
Brandon participates in the schools of choice 105 program and 105c program, meaning the district can accept all students residing in Oakland County, as well as students residing in counties contiguous to Oakland. The enrollment is open, with no limits on the number of students that can be accepted. The only requirement the state allows the district to set to approve schools of choice applicants is that they have no suspensions or expulsions from their current district in the past two years.
Dixon said the district’s enrollment in general has been on the decline for the past few years, although the number of schools of choice students has stayed fairly constant. This year, 327 students are attending Brandon schools, but live outside the district boundaries. They comprise about 9.5 percent of the entire student body of 3,422.
‘We lost 100 students last year, even with the number of schools of choice students remaining about the same,? she said. ‘We cannot cap (the number of out of district students enrolling), so if we suddenly got a lot of students that met the criteria, we would have to hire staff. At this point, we have declining enrollment so there are no concerns about overfilling classrooms and buildings.?
Each student accepted is a financial windfall? the district currently receives $7,316 in per-pupil funding from the state. Even with the cost of educating more students, the district still has a financial gain of $1,942,000 from schools of choice students.
If this year’s Kindergarten and graduating classes are any indication, the district is facing further decline in both pupils and funding. About 300 students will graduate from Brandon High School next month. In contrast, only 175 students were enrolled as kindergarteners this school year.
‘Right there, you can see a huge difference,? Dixon said. ‘We had a baby boom, but now we are seeing a decrease in the number of births.?
Schools of choice students must turn in their applications by Aug. 14. Returning out-of-district students need not reapply and will receive a returning confirmation in the mail around the end of May.