Fund Schools Based on Learning, Not Attendance — Especially on Yom Kippur

Even granting that Michigan’s head count on a Jewish holiday stems from innocent, obtuse bureaucratic policies, the reliance on a single count day to determine a school’s funding is a problem

This oped appeared originally in the New York Sun the day before Yom Kippur. But the piece’s argument extends past the bureaucratic snafu in Michigan concerning that day into a larger set of problems with how public schools are funded.

Michigan’s public schools will receive funding this year based on how many students attend on October 5, Chalkbeat reports. This “count day” falls on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year — when many Jewish students will be absent.

In an era of heightened consciousness around treating races, creeds, genders, and more with respect, not only does this suggest that Jewish students “don’t count,” but it also discloses a larger structural problem with how schools are funded.

Michigan’s state funding has long been tied to a single count day, which occurs the first Wednesday of October. This year that means that for each student in attendance, each school will receive roughly $9,150 — the base funding in the state’s budget.

For states that have such count days, it’s so important that some schools I’ve researched outside of Michigan hold pizza parties to ensure students attend. Of course, pizza and food would likely drive Jewish students away while fasting on Yom Kippur.