By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-880503.mp3
LANSING, MI –
The chairman of the state Senate Education Committee says schools should be required to report student counts every month to the Department of Education.
AUDIO:
State Senator Wayne Kuipers says a monthly count would eliminate a lot of problems with charter schools and public schools arguing over stolen students. The schools receive payments based on the student counts. Kuipers says the schools put too much energy in the bi-annual count.
"When there's a big focus on getting kids in school on count day they have pizza parties and this and that and the other thing, but there's not as much attention on making sure kids are in school on the other days," he says.
Kuipers says he's not fast-tracking his plan to have monthly payments to schools depend on monthly counts. But he says it's important to begin discussing it, and his committee plans to take testimony within the next month.