Clinton School District to send bus into Manchester this fall

Manchester Community Schools, like many other school districts in the state, is struggling with the district budget. Because of decreased revenue per pupil from the state, combined with decreased enrollment due to factors outside of its control, school districts are turning to the only source of new income open to them in order to continue operating–attracting School of Choice students from other districts.

While Manchester School District welcomes School of Choice families and even sends postcards to neighboring zip codes about School of Choice opportunities, Clinton Schools will be taking it a step farther this fall and will be sending a school bus into Manchester to pick up students and take them to Clinton.

According to a recent press release from the Clinton Community Schools, two new “School of Choice Bus Stops” have been added within the boundaries of the Manchester School District. One stop will be at the corner of Sharon Hollow and Whipporwill Lane and another will be near the Hungry Wolf, less than a mile from the Manchester Middle School.

Recent analysis by scholars at Michigan State University demonstrates that the primary cause of school district budget problems is state policy, rather than choices made by individual boards. The study  determined that “adjusted for inflation, statewide general fund revenue per-pupil has declined by roughly 25 percent since 2002.” The authors of the study also state that 80 percent of the variation in district fiscal stress is due to the enrollment of high-cost special education students, changes in districts’ state funding, and enrollment changes including those associated with school choice policies.

Manchester Community Schools Superintendent Cherie Vannatter is disappointed that the Clinton and Manchester school districts have been pitted against each other by state policy: “Most of public schools’ revenue is based on the number of pupils in a district,” she said. “The state’s allotment of funding per pupil differs greatly among districts, sometimes vastly. Manchester is one of several districts to receive the minimum allotment of state funding per pupil.  With current enrollment declining in many areas and state funding continuing to be tight, districts have turned to “poaching” students from neighboring districts.  This practice is unfortunate as it pits district against district and forces dollars to be spent on marketing campaigns to retain current students and attract new ones.”

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by Fritz Swanson

Fritz Swanson has written for The Believer, the Christian Science Monitor, Print Magazine, McSweeney's, Esopus, LSA Magazine, and The Mid-American Review. He serves as a trustee on the Manchester District Library Board. He's the designer and publisher of The Manchester Mirror.

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