Brandon Twp.- More than one in every 10 students attending school here doesn’t live in the community.
The Brandon School District participates in schools of choice and currently has 327 students (11 percent of the entire student body of 3,422) who reside in other school districts. Brandon has been a schools of choice district since 1996. Superintendent Lorrie McMahon says schools of choice is a boon to the district, garnering roughly $2 million this year alone and bringing racial diversity to a community that is mostly white. But school officials find themselves needing to defend the decision to be a schools of choice district lately as parents and taxpayers who reside here question it.
At a recent school board study session, boardmembers and Superintendent Lorrie McMahon discussed the topic.
Trustee Debbie Schummer said she has heard multiple complaints from parents about schools of choice and when she was campaigning for school board last year, was questioned about whether she supported the issue.
‘The complaint from parents is that they pay more in taxes than Pontiac parents pay and they don’t want to pay taxes for kids not in the district,? said Schummer, who said she told voters she absolutely supports schools of choice in Brandon. ‘There have been complaints that (out-of-district students) take over the dance floor, that they are out of control.?
Trustee Debbie Brady said a common misperception in the community is that all the discipline problems in the district are caused by schools of choice kids, when this is simply not true. McMahon agreed.
‘People are wondering if these kids are an added discipline risk,? she said. ‘They are not. On the whole, they are very good students, not discipline problems, and have positive academic records.?
A parent speaking on condition of anonymity said he and other parents had a number of concerns about schools of choice, including oversized classes with an influx of kids from outside the district; in-district students being denied classes because their seat is taken by a schools of choice student; overloaded buses from schools of choice students being dropped off at the first stop in the township; students from academically inferior districts requiring more of a teacher’s time and taking away from students who live in the district; and large numbers of students from one area causing ‘territorial issues.?
‘Pontiac is closing eight schools in September, including Pontiac Central,? he said. ‘How many of those kids will be directed toward us? Is that 300 going to increase??
He said that last year, at a Brandon High School home football game, a bunch of girls from Pontiac surrounded a Brandon girl and were harassing her. The Brandon girl’s parents had to come get her for her safety.
‘It’s a concern of an ‘us versus them? mentality when a large amount of kids comes from one area,? the parent continued. ‘Three from one area and eight from another is a lot different than 150 from one area. The biggest complaint is, they are such a large number that their attitude is, ‘This is our school now, not yours.??
Schools of choice students in Brandon come from 11 other districts? one from Bentley; two from Flint; four each from Grand Blanc and Lake Orion; six each from Davison and Waterford; 14 apiece from Clarkston and Goodrich; 31 from Lapeer; 43 from Oxford; 48 from Holly; and the remainder, 156 students, from Pontiac. Ninth grade is the greatest entry point for schools of choice students, but many have been here since kindergarten, said McMahon, and the students are spread fairly evenly though all grades: 18 in K; 22 in first grade; 21 in second grade; 20 in third; 15 in fourth; 19 in fifth; 16 in sixth; 24 in seventh; 32 in eighth; and in high school, 36 freshman; 34 sophomores; 36 juniors; and 32 seniors. Two preschoolers are also schools of choice students.
Enrollment Coordinator Patti Dixon said a lot of schools are closing between Pontiac and Flint and a misperception among parents is that Brandon will take all the kids. The reality, she said, is that students must apply, their applications are scrutinized and their home school district is called about disciplinary actions taken.
While Brandon can’t limit the number of applications for schools of choice, they can reject students based on past behavior in other districts and can also limit the number of students accepted based on space, although McMahon said space isn’t currently an issue.
Each student accepted is a financial windfall? the district currently receives $7,316 in per-pupil funding from the state. Even with the cost of educating more students, McMahon said the district still has a financial gain of $1,942,000 from schools of choice students.
‘Losing that much would be devastating to our district,? she said. ?$2 million is a lot of teachers, math books, science books, science equipment and better opportunities for all the students who come here. Schools of choice also offers diversity, which we wouldn’t have otherwise, and whenever you have diversity, you have more talent and more opportunities to learn from other people.?