Detroit schools give dinner, prizes for ‘Count Day’ attendance

theGRIO REPORT -

Sep 30, 2014

Many Detriot schools are actually urging students to come to school during this count day by luring them with a wide range of prizes.

Count days are technically days when the number of students enrolled in a certain school is counted, and the results during these days will account for the funding which the school receives for each year.

The first count day is on the first Wednesday of October, while the second one is on the second Wednesday of February.

It is this Wednesday’s count that is very crucial, as the results will account for 90 percent of the funding which the schools receive.

Each school will receive a set amount per pupil ranging from $7,130 to $11,934 per pupil for the whole academic year. If 50 students are absent during count day, the school would lose anywhere from $365,500 to $596,700 of funding.

Because of this, many schools have designed programs to urge their students to attend class during said dates.

Over the past years, some schools, like Warren Conslidated Schools, have lost millions in pupil aid from the state. Superintendent Robert Livernois says they have had to use money from the school system’s savings account to maintain services for their students.