Student Head Counts Down in West Bloomfield, Up in Walled Lake

The West Bloomfield School District measured declining enrollment figures, according to an unofficial head count, while Walled Lake Consolidated Schools is seeing an increase.

These trends are about par for the rest of the Oakland County, according to an Oakland Press report.

According to district spokeswoman Judy Evola, Walled Lake Schools' unofficial head count Oct. 5 was 15,518. Those numbers are up 95 students, including 89 at the secondary level, from an official February 2011 head count of 15,423. The Oct. 5 total does not include an estimated 47 students taken in the blended count. The blended count total includes preschool Special Education children at Twin Sun, Adult Education students, and students at Franklin Christian Schools served by Walled Lake Schools in art, physical education, music.

The numbers pleased Superintendent Kenneth Gutman, who said via email that, "We attribute this to the district focus on student achievement, the dedicated staff and consistent support of parents and the community.”

West Bloomfield's total is down from February, according to district spokeswoman Pam Zajac. The Oct. 5 count is 6,603.2, including full-time equated students (FTE), while the blended count was 6,617.72 FTE. The February count was 6,744.42 FTE.

Full-time equivalence refers to actual time the student is in school each day and reported to the state for the purpose of foundation grant funds. This distinction is with regard to some Special Education students who are in school for part of the day and are added as a whole figure for this purpose.

The Oakland Press reported decreases in Oakland County districts, including Huron Valley, Royal Oak, Berkley and Rochester. Pupil accounting administrators at Oakland County districts don’t have to submit official results to Oakland Schools until Nov. 9, after which an audit will start.

Evola said Walled Lake Schools’ state foundation grant is estimated at $8,165 per student for the 2011-12 school year, while Zajac said that West Bloomfield's is at $8,646.

These figures are down $470 per student, per district from the 2010-11 school year, as the result of new state legislation.

Head count tied to state funding

It could be that fall count results are more important than ever when it comes to how much money districts will receive from state funding, according to a Sept. 26 article in The Detroit News. Under a new formula, the final number of students counted Oct. 5 will amount to 90 percent of state aid received for the school year. In years past, the autumn count day figure translated to 75 percent of funds, while the winter count day figure accounted for 25 percent.