It’s a simple math equation ? more students equals more funding from the state.
That’s the main reason the Oxford school district took in 99 students in the 2008-09 school year under the ‘Schools of Choice? program.
‘There’s not enough funding from the state of Michigan that will cover the annual increases that we naturally incur just through inflation, health care and retirement costs,? according to Superintendent Dr. William Skilling. ‘There is one way only any district can grow its revenue and that’s through student growth.?
As a result, out of the 4,387 students currently attending Oxford Schools in grades K-12, a total of 168 are residents of other school districts, each one bringing in an additional approximately $7,500 from the state.
Under state law, local school districts are allowed to enroll nonresident students and count them without permission from the district of residence. These students can reside in either the same intermediate school district, in this case Oakland Schools, or be from a contiguous one.
Right now, the largest contingent of nonresident student attending Oxford School come from Pontiac.
A total 65 students are here from the failing urban school district to the south ? 22 at the elementary level, eight at the middle school and 35 at OHS.
Fifty-three of those Pontiac students enrolled at the beginning of this school year.
According to Skilling, apparently one week before school started, the Pontiac district sent a letter home to students attending one of the high schools and one of the middle schools informing them they were considered failing facilities.
Included in the letter was a list of school districts participating in the Schools of Choice program.
‘We got a flood of calls,? Skilling said. ‘We took in probably 90 percent of those students that came this year the week before school started.?
Of those who applied from Pontiac, 11 were turned down.
‘We did not accept every student that applied because we do background checks on any student, no matter where they’re coming from,? Skilling said. ‘We don’t take anybody who’s been expelled or been involved in suspensions. We don’t want to bring problems to the district. We want kids who want to be here because they want the education.?
Only students with a discipline history are allowed to be turned down. By law, students cannot be rejected based on academic performance or special needs.
‘We can only deny based upon behavior,? Skilling said.
The second and third highest number of nonresident students come from Lapeer (41) and Lake Orion (21).
As for the rest of the nonresident students, they come from Avondale (1), Brandon (10), Clarkston (1), Dryden (14), Romeo (10), Troy (2), Waterford (2) and West Bloomfield (1).
Skilling said student growth, either naturally through people moving to the district or through Schools of Choice, is the only way a district can survive under the state school funding structure established by Proposal A, a constitutional amendment approved by state voters in 1994.
‘Proposal A was designed to create winners and losers. That was intentional,? he explained. ‘The only way a district can cover their increasing annual costs and allow them to improve on their current education or expand opportunities is if their student population’s growing. There’s no other way.?
As a result, Skilling said, ‘Districts are forced to cannibalize other districts, so they can succeed.?
‘The objective here in Oxford is to create such a strong magnetism for our school district that families will want to move to Oxford and/or we attract schools of choice kids, so we can grow our revenue and maintain not only what we currently offer, but improve upon it.?
Skilling likened what Oxford’s doing to the 1972 disaster film classic ‘The Poseidon Adventure,? in which survivors of a fictional luxury ocean-liner that capsized struggle to reach the ship’s hull in the hope they’d be able to find a way to escape. Ultimately, rescue crews cut a hole in the hull to free them.
‘That’s the only way we’re going to work our way to the hull of that ship and we have to hope and pray that the state’s going to wake up and change the structure for how we fund schools.?
The only downside to the Schools of Choice program that Skilling could think of would be if the influx of nonresident students forced a district to build new facilities.
‘Taxpayers would have a right to be concerned about that,? he said.
Although school districts receive additional funding from the state for nonresident students, their parents do not pay property taxes to the district in which their children are enrolled.
Fortunately, Oxford’s not experiencing this downside. ‘We’re not in that situation,? Skilling said. ‘We’re not addressing our facilities (through a $70 million bond proposal) because of Schools of Choice. At the elementary level, we’d be doing it regardless.?
For the 2009-10 school year, Skilling said Clear Lake Elementary will be closed to Schools of Choice because it has no more room. The school’s capacity is around 470-475 and there are currently a little over 500 students enrolled there.
‘If you were to remove the schools of choice kids there, they’re still overcapacity,? Skilling noted.
The other four elementary schools will remain open to nonresident students because they have ‘some capacity? as will the middle and high schools.
‘We have a tremendous amount of capacity there (at OMS and OHS) to grow,? Skilling noted.

Top three districts sending students to Oxford
Pontiac……………………………65
Lapeer……………………………..41
Lake Orion………………………21