Decatur Attendance Down by 66 Students

Ortman working for less money than former superintendent By Lana F. Flowers THE MORNING NEWS Decatur school officials are looking for about 66 students who could mean another $382,000 in funding for the struggling district. Decatur had 473 students attend class Wednesday, a decline of 66 students from the 539 that attended class the last day of the 2007-08 school year. Each student is worth about $5,789 in state per-student funding, money the financially troubled district needs. However, all teachers and staff will keep their jobs this year, as funding amounts are set. The declining enrollment could affect state funding next school year, said Superintendent Leroy Ortman. "The only cutbacks that we will make in this school year on staffing are due to attrition," Ortman said. "If someone resigns, we will look really hard at... [read full story]