Student Count Day Important Factor in Funding

The Average Daily Membership count for students at all school corporations is this Friday, Sept. 13. It is imperative that all students make it to school that day. The state takes the number of students at the corporation for the day and that number is what determines the funding for the corporation.

If a corporation is less a few students, then that money does not come to the school.

West Central School Superintendent Charles Mellon said student count will be important to his corporation on Friday.

“As of Aug. 23 when I asked the secretaries for the count, we are about 36 short from last year,” said Mellon. “You multiply that by $6,100 per student and that’s over $200,000 less. It’s going to be significant for us.”

Other school corporations are reporting less students this school year. Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa commented that his corporation is down 13 students from May of last year. Several of those students went to other state schools, area schools or simply traveled out of state.

School boards and administrators will be keeping a close eye on ADM counts when they are released from the state.