Kids equal cash

By Sara QuamSchool superintendents always keep tabs on enrollment figures, because student numbers drive funding for school budgets.In Luverne, overall enrollment slipped from 1,308 last year to the current 1,253, according to latest reports from October 2005.With state aid factored using a formula base of $4,783 per pupil, it adds up.Luverne Superintendent Gary Fisher said, "Everything in our budget is based on enrollment and the per pupil aid."Even though there is a standard aid amount, different students carry different weights and bring different state funding.
Kindergarten students bring the district $2,664 in aid, whether they attend all day or not.
Students in preschool bring the district $5,978. (There are only certain students who attend preschool outside the tuition program, Discovery Time. The school doesn’t receive funding for Discovery Time.)
Handicapped kindergarteners bring the district $4,783.
Students in first through third grade bring the district $5,333.
Students in fourth through sixth grade bring in $5,069.
Students in seventh through 12th grade bring $6,217.Fischer said the state assumes how much children will cost a district at certain grade levels. Labs for high schoolers cost more, for example."We always keep an eye on the census," Fisher said. "There are 88 seniors this year, but our first grade is a big class with 120."Open enrollment is another consideration in student population.Luverne has 106 students that are open enrolled into the district from other districts. Fischer said they are from schools in the immediate area — Ellsworth, Hills-Beaver Creek or Pipestone-Jasper.That brings more student aid. Sixty-three students are open enrolled out of the Luverne district, which causes a loss in aid. That number includes students who attend private schools or are homeschooled."The reason people use open enrollment is that they can. Parents and families have choices. I think schools try to offer plenty of opportunities and the ones with high quality will draw more kids," Fisher said."I’m not saying we’re better, but we’re proud of our school. Any school district can’t afford to lose students and we all want to keep them. It’s just a parent decision."In Hills-Beaver CreekHills-Beaver Creek has 308 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The district has 39 students open enrolled into the district and 51 students open enrolled elsewhere.In EllsworthEllsworth has 184 students in K-12. Ellsworth has 45 students open enrolled there, and 30 students from the district are open enrolled elsewhere.In AdrianAdrian has 640 students in K-12. The district draws 147 students who open enroll from other districts (mostly from Worthington) and eight open enroll out of Adrian.