4 Corners August 2016

4 Corners A Publication of Lauderdale County Schools Volume IV Issue 1 August 2016 LCSD Remains Strong The  2016-­‐2017  school  year  is  off  to  a  great   start.    Lauderdale  County  Schools  is  fortunate   to  have  outstanding  teachers,  administrators,   and  students.    Equally  important  is  our  commu-­‐ nity  support.    As  public  schools  across  our   state  face  great  uncertainty  regarding  funding,   Randy Hodges, Superintendent we  know  our  people  and  the  communities  we   serve  will  be  the  difference  for  this  district.    As  you  know,  funding  for   schools  is  based  on  enrollment.    As  districts  statewide  see  enrollment  de-­‐ cline,  this  means  less  money,  which  directly  impacts  each  of  our  commu-­‐ nity  schools.    In  Lauderdale  County,  our  enrollment  is  down  by  200  stu-­‐ dents,  which  will  equate  to  approximately  1  million  dollars  less  in  fund-­‐ ing  for  the  next  school  year.    As  districts  analyze  the  reasons  for  this   statewide  trend  in  declining  enrollment,  we  Jind  several  contributing  fac-­‐ tors,  such  as  the  homeschool  movement,  common  core  and  the  confu-­‐ sion  surrounding  it,  increased  mandates,  and  charter/private  schools,   just  to  name  a  few.    Although  we  can  anticipate  some  lean  Jinancial  years   ahead,  Lauderdale  County  School  District  will  survive  because  of  our  out-­‐ standing  teachers,  principals,  central  ofJice,  and  support  staff.    We  will   continue  to  keep  our  community  schools  strong  and  our  students  will   continue  to  achieve  at  high  levels.