I think the ship of public opinion is starting to right itself and see reform for what it is....a privatization transformation initiative. Supporters of Public Ed would be wise to keep the pressure ON HIGH and continue to demand accountability and transparency in the charter and voucher programs and well (hopefully) see them wither in the wind. By Bob Braley bbraley@kpcmedia | Posted: Friday, August 15, 2014 11:00 pm ALBION — Freedom to send your child to another district sounds great, but it has a consequence at the local level — and the smaller the school district, the bigger the consequences. When children are transferred from one public school to another, tax dollars go with them, said Central Noble schools Superintendent Chris Daughtry. That impact is felt more strongly in smaller districts, where a few students can impact decisions about how many teachers to hire, he added. “Our decisions should be based on what’s best for the kids, not what’s best for our back pockets. In Indiana, we’ve reversed that,” Daughtry said. Westview schools Superintendent Randy Zimmerly agreed. “We’ve created the haves and the have- nots,” he said. The problem is compounded by school vouchers, which let tax funds be used for private schools, including parochial schools, Zimmerly said. “The taxpayers in Indiana are now funding private education,” Zimmerly said. “School funding for public education’s really suffering.” School funding big issue At the heart of the issue are changes in how Indiana funds public education, said Hamilton schools Superintendent John Willman. The state used to provide school funding based on an average of the school’s enrollment over a period of year, Willman said. At one time it was five years, then it was reduced to three years. With the averaging of enrollments, schools were better able to plan for budgets, Willman said, adding, “It was more stable that way.” Then the state shifted to having a student count day in the fall to set funding for the year, Willman said. Recently, a second count day later in the year was put in place, so now funding is adjusted partway through the school year. “For some of the schools it’s been very difficult to plan for,” Willman said. That’s partly because the count affects how many teachers the district can hire, Daughtry said, adding, “You can’t adjust staffing on the fly to meet those needs.” The fall count day for the 2014-2015 school year is Sept. 12, Daughtry said. The later count day for this school year is in February, Zimmerly said. Daughtry said Central Noble’s enrollment actually went up on the second measurement last year, which is unusual. “We benefited from having a second count day,” he said, adding that he expects that it will show a more typical reduction in students this year. When schools had only one count day, many established a policy allowing open transfers until the count day, Daughtry said. The second count day functionally means that transfers are available for almost the entire school year. Unofficially, it looks as if Central Noble has had about 1,250 students so far this school year, Daughtry said. Hamilton had about 425 students as of Wednesday, Willman said. Zimmerly said Westview’s enrollment is looking much like last school year, when it had 2,223.5 students in September. Kindergarten students count as one-half student, he explained. Vouchers present a different aspect of school choice, since they provide tax funding to private and charter schools. While vouchers can be used for religious schools, not all such schools accept them, Zimmerly said. For instance, Westview, based in an area with a large Amish population, finds its enrollment impacted because Amish students go to Amish schools. No tax money goes to Amish schools, Zimmerly said, adding, “The Amish schools do not qualify for vouchers.” But that tax money doesn’t come to Westview either, Zimmerly said. The district loses those dollars when students aren’t registered there. Not every district finds a problem in the issue, said Jeff Reed, superintendent of Prairie Heights schools. “I don’t really think it’s a big issue to us right now. We may have lost a few that transferred out, but we also have several attend Prairie Heights that live out of district. At this point, it’s kind of a wash for us,” Reed said. Districts have options Small school districts have options to try to entice people to stay or keep funding in place. One solution is to have a general fund referendum to lock in funding, Zimmerly said. The state allowed referendums as a tacit acknowledgement that funding wasn’t keeping up with costs, he said. Hamilton schools have done just that, Willman said. When he first arrived in the district, there were rumors spreading that the schools would close. The district passed a tax referendum in the fall of 2012, which gives it a financial safety net, Willman said. After that, fears calmed. “We’re going to be able to provide outstanding teachers and programs for our kids,” Willman said. People know that, and are keeping their students in the district as a result. But many rural school districts are hurt because of low enrollments and an inability to pass a referendum, Zimmerly said. A method to keep funding in place is to offer programs to stay competitive while using the advantages that come from being a small school district, the superintendents said. Smaller class sizes appeal to parents, and are something the smaller districts can offer, Willman, Daughtry and Zimmerly said. One-on-one time between teacher and student is an asset, each said. The schools also offer various extracurricular activities and training programs, such as athletics, Daughtry and Zimmerly said. It can be a challenge working to keep staffing up to meet such needs when budgets are tight, Daughtry said, adding, “It’s kind of a delicate balance.” Westview is reaping the rewards of a reputation for small class sizes and academic and athletic excellence, Zimmerly said. The school had more than 100 transfers in for the 2013-2014 school year, and expects to have about 150 this year. But Westview is in a competitive environment because districts in Elkhart County, where part of the district is located, actively try to draw students to them. Westview, Central Noble and Hamilton said they don’t try to recruit form other districts, and weren’t aware of districts in Noble, DeKalb, Steuben or LaGrange counties that do. “The school districts around us are doing a great job,” Zimmerly said. But the challenges remain under the current system, Daughtry said. “With the way it is now, you just never know.” kpcnews/news/latest/newssun/article_0f7d867e-9088-57f4-a387-77cbfcb0be4d.html
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 18:30:15 +0000
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