Area students are settling into a routine after returning to school nearly a month ago. Just because everyone is in a routine is no reason to slack.
The next month is critical to all schools as the Alabama State Department of Education calculates the average daily membership. It is important because it directly affects state funding for teachers.
“If we gain 20 students, it means we pick up state funding for a teaching unit,” Tallassee City Schools superintendent Dr. Brock Nolin said. “If we lose 20 we lose funding for a unit. Then we have to make a decision to lose the unit or locally fund it.”
Currently the system has about 95 state-funded teachers and 14 locally funded. Most of the locally funded units are at Tallassee High School allowing for extra arts and languages and some extra career tech options.
The state looks at 20 school days between Labor Day and the middle of October. Simply put each student gets 1/20 for every day they attend school. If the student attends every day of the county, they get 20/20.
“We get full ADM for that child when that happens,” Nolin said.
For Tallassee City Schools 20 students means the system receives state funding for one teacher unit. The ADM is tied to funding for the 2025-26 school year. The nearly year-long delay allows the system to plan how to cover losses in teacher units if attendance is down.
“We might have discussions about what to do if we need to cut or fund locally,” Nolin said.
Special education students are funded by the state at a slightly higher rate. Nolin said the difference doesn’t add up to an extra teaching unit.
The ADM count doesn’t allow for special or catastrophic events. Nolin recalled a year when a threat was made to the schools.
“The next day we had about 40% absent,” Nolin said. “It meant about $35,000 in funding.”
Nolin said enrollment as of Aug. 21 for Tallassee City Schools was 1,434. A year ago it was 1,443 for a difference of nine students.
“I expect it to be about even by the time everyone gets done moving around,” Nolin said. “Usually the first month of school we have people come in and some transfer in and out.”
About 15 years ago Tallassee City Schools had about 2,100 students and lost between 25 and 30 students per year. Nolin is happy with this year’s estimated attendance thus far, especially following staff’s efforts to increase it for the state report card last school year.
“I met with the principals the other day about not letting off the gas pedal,” Nolin said. “We cut our attendance issues in half last year. If we can replicate that and do a little better then we will be in good shape.”
