Chandra Kring Villanueva
Senior Director, Budget and Policy
Every Texan encourages the Senate Education Committee to explore adopting enrollment-based funding, which would more accurately count the number of students for which a district must prepare its budget and administer its operations. As enrollment declines across the state, it’s more important than ever for districts to be funded for every student enrolled.
There are four major ways to apply enrollment-based funding:*
- Average Daily Membership: Average enrollment counts over most or all of the school year; used in 23 states.
- Single Count Day: Enrollment count from a single day, typically in the beginning of the school year; used in 12 states.
- Enrollment Period: Enrollment counts from multiple points in time (usually spring and fall); used in nine states.
- Multiple Day Counts: Enrollment counts over multiple days; used in one state.
Average Daily Membership (ADM) is the most common method used, and for good reasons. Administered similarly to average daily attendance, ADM allows districts to obtain an accurate count of enrolled students throughout the school year. This method eliminates the fear of “ghost students,” the idea that enrollment-based funding would continue to fund students who enrolled at one point but then left for another district or state.
Texans agree that every Texas student should have the opportunity for a great education- that starts with a commitment to give schools the funding they need to be successful.
