02/20/13 The second student count day for public schools that was taken on February 15, will not alter the funding for this school year. However, the counts could alter the way schools are reimbursed in the future. Indiana is one of 40 states to use more than one count day each year. The Indiana law requiring a second count day in February was just passed last year.
The results from the first count day that falls on the second Friday after Labor Day each year is the benchmark for school funding from the state. Data from the initial counts are put into a formula that determines how much money a school corporation or district gets per pupil.
As the legislators for Indiana are meeting to begin the process of formulating a two-year budget, the totals from both counts could be a factor in some of their decisions. The current formula will terminate on July 1.
The new formula will be used for the period between July 11 and June 30 of the following year-dates that are in place for the fiscal year, rather than the calendar year.
According to Plymouth Schools Superintendent, Daniel Tyree, the Plymouth Schools’ February count day totals were up somewhat. Tyree said, “It will not affect us this year.” He said he would notify the media when the official numbers are received from the state.
Tyree said, “They are going to look at the count day to determine if schools are systematically getting rid of students after the September count day.”
Carol Anders Correspondent
