Words From the Director

Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA/OASA Executive Director deering@ccosa.org

Can you use $3,517.17?

Yes, it is a trick question, but did you know that the state guarantees this amount for every student?

Of course, the guarantee always comes with a catch— your local and state dedicated monies help make up this amount, but you need to think about this amount of money every time you are building your student count numbers for your district.

This edition of Better Schools will help you understand the reasons for the student counts and how you can best identify students for the October 1 count that is the date that is used to determine state aid for midterm adjustments.

Based on this one graphic, you can see the value of one student IF the student is counted for the eligible categories for that student. In this case, the student generates $14,072.20 (before chargeables—other local and state income—revenue sources are considered)!

Student counts are critical to a school district’s funding in Oklahoma. Please take a look at each section of this magazine for the various student counts that your district will need to identify for funding and reporting October 1. We are pleased to offer training on budgets, student counts, and federal programs during the year.

Student counts are not just the responsibility of administrators. Teachers, principals, central office staff and superintendents must know the ins and outs of student counts that generate what may be, on the average, the largest percentage (%) of the money to a school district. The money that supports each student is an annual appropriation by the legislature. When we advocate for public education, funding is at the top of the list. This year, public schools received an increase of $136.2M in the state aid formula to support education programs and operations in our school districts. Please be prepared to tell your district’s story about how you spend these dollars on education and thank them for their support of funding.

So, let’s get busy counting students for October 1!

Sincerely,

Pam Deering, CCOSA/OASA Executive Director ■