A Tale of One District's Funding Problems

Districts throughout Michigan are dealing with financial woes in different ways: none of them good. Dowagiac Union Schools in Cass County is perhaps a typical district. The district is projecting enrollment declines for the next several years. On top of that they are forecasting a financial problem of between $980,000 and $1.7 million for 2010-2011. They are also typical in that personnel make up 85 percent of the budget.

According to Center for Educational Performance Information (CEPI) data, Dowagiac had a fall 2008 enrollment of 2,533 which made them the 182nd largest school district in the state. This is 940 students larger than the median sized district in Michigan. Last year, Napolean Community Schools was dead center at the median with an enrollment of 1,592 students. Statewide enrollment in fall 2008 at regular public schools was 1,505,899.

The median sized public school academy had an enrollment of 388 students. Enrollment at public school academies in fall 2008 was 101,616 students. ISD's also contributed enrollment with a total state-wide of 4,910 students.

What is Dowagiac Union Schools doing to deal with the issue? Read the Dowagiac Daily News article linked in the title to this posting to see.

P.S. Data was sliced and diced from the CEPI fall 2008 district enrollment data at:

www.michigan.gov/cepi/0,1607,7-113-21423_30451_30460-214378--,00.html