Gone but not grads

Shriking graduation numbers at the Princeton MN public school is the focus of an article which breaks down the statistics behind the decline in numbers. Homeschool is mentioned:

A continuing trend

Princeton Superintendent Rick Lahn stated the Princeton District has always had more district resident students leave for other options than it has had non-district residents coming in. Last year was no different as 278 left and 102 out-of-district residents enrolled.

The 278 students that left the district last year are worth $950,000 in state funding.

The board’s reaction

School board members were dismayed by the results and began discussion to find solutions.

Board member Brenda Hoffman stated she felt bullying might be a concern particularly among parents who choose to homeschool their kids.

There are 205 homeschool kids in the Princeton District but it is unknown when those students started in homeschooling.

It is hard to tell if homeschoolers ultimately are considered part of the problem – loss of tax dollars for the district, or part of the solution – savings for the state. More than likely homeschoolers are alternately considered the problem and the solution. Either way, we are both homeschoolers and tax payers, so, should be aware of this fundamental issue facing public schools:

Superintendent’s response

For Lahn, Princeton’s facilities remain a big issue and he feels Princeton’s brick and mortar accouterments are its biggest hindrance.

Lahn said Princeton’s Achilles’ heel is its facilities. “Our facilities hurt us,” he said. “We have one beautiful building [the middle school] and three buildings that are aging and in need of repair or replacement.”

If the school district has no way of knowing what percentage of that $700,500 in lost/saved tax dollars can be attributed to transfers to homeschooling, studies are sure to follow. You can read the entire article here.

Princeton Union-Eagle, Princeton, MN

http://unioneagle.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2782&Itemid=83

Tags: graduation numbers, homeschooling, public school infrstructure, school funding, tax payers

This entry was posted on June 6, 2009 at 12:25 pm and is filed under State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.