Student count day was just another day at Clarkston schools.
At Clarkston High School, Feb. 11 wasn’t even announced as the day designated by the state to determine school funding, said Principal Vince Licata.
“No pizza parties or incentives,” he said. “It’s just another day of instruction.”
Valerie Grimes, principal of Pine Knob Elementary School, said attendance was encouraged as usual but it was a regular day.
With Andersonville Elementary’s February activities, such as a schoolwide carnival and Valentine’s Day parties, they didn’t need to pump students up, said Principal Bruce Martin.
In September, Andersonville had about five absent students. Last week, they had 23, mostly students with colds or flu, Martin said.
“They don’t want kids to come in and infect others,” he said.
Some districts offer incentives and prizes to boost attendance and maximize funding. However, these tactics aren’t needed in Clarkston, said Anita Banach, director of communications and marketing for Clarkston Schools.
“Student attendance isn’t a problem,” Banach said. ‘We average good attendance all year round.?
The state requires student counts in fall and winter. Official count day was Feb. 11, but districts are allowed 30 days to account for absences. Schools must verify why students are not in school and when they come back. If a student is absent, the school must have a note or contact parents on count day.
‘It’s a busy day, just tracking everybody down,? said Principal Debra Latozas, North Sashabaw Elementary School.
Curt Barnum, technology coordinator, said initial count is 8,173.8 full-time-equivalent students ? the district has part-time students in programs such as OSMTech. In 2008, Clarkston schools received $7,546 per student in state funding.
Fall and winter counts are combined, the earlier number counting for 75 percent of the total, Barnum said.