Do Kids Count?

It looks like today--Wednesday, September 30th--is the date where we find out whether kids count, and how much they count for.

Yes, today is Count Day, the day on which 75% of per-pupil funding allocation decisions are based. (There is also a count day halfway through the school year.)

Tomorrow is also the last day before the end of the fiscal year for the state of Michigan, and as of midnight tonight, the state legislature had adjourned, and no vote had been held on per-pupil state funding. It is highly likely that the budget that eventually passes will include a significant reduction in per-pupil funding, to the tune of $100-$218 less per student.

So--when you send your kids to school tomorrow, so that they can count, remember--however much they counted last year, this year they are likely to count a little bit less.

(Yes, I'm exasperated.)