Jordan Beck | Daily Press Kyle Young, left, and Madison Sundquist, students in Mrs. Sholten’s fifth-grade STEM class at James T. Jones Elementary School in Gladstone, read a short story Wednesday.

ESCANABA — The week of Jan. 26 – Feb. 1 is National School Choice Week. While school of choice provisions in Michigan have been a boon for some local school districts, others have been negatively impacted.

Jay Kulbertis, superintendent of the Gladstone and Rapid River school districts, said legislation enacting school of choice in Michigan went into effect in the mid-90s — part of a nationwide trend that has grown along with the charter school movement.

“Each state has their own flavor and their own policies,” he said.

Kulbertis’ school districts have seen the benefits of school of choice over the years.

“Both have fared fairly well,” Kulbertis said.

He said more than 20 percent of both districts’ student populations are school of choice students from outside their areas, and school of choice has been helpful financially for the districts.

Despite the positive effects, Kulbertis has mixed feelings about school of choice as it is currently implemented in Michigan. He said he had no issues with the idea of families being able to choose schools that best meet the needs of their children.

In rural areas without much in the way of charter school, magnet school or alternative options. Kulbertis said school of choice legislation can result in districts competing for students. He felt the competitive aspect of school of choice has done more harm than good, as it has negatively affected districts’ relationships and has made collaboration between districts more difficult.

Bark River-Harris Schools Superintendent Jason Lockwood was less conflicted about school of choice. He said more than 200 school of choice students are currently enrolled in his district.

“School of choice has had a profound and positive impact on our student population,” Lockwood said.

Since school funding is tied to student counts, Lockwood said school of choice has helped with his district’s budget.

“Because our finances have been very stable for nearly a decade, we’ve been able to add programs, athletic teams, and improve our facilities,” he said.

About a decade ago, Lockwood said his district focused on encouraging students from outside of the area to consider studying at Bark River-Harris Schools by promoting itself via media and billboards.

“However, over time, the focus has shifted from a primarily marketing mind-set to that of simply telling our story,” he said, adding the district still promotes itself through newspapers, social media, radio and other forms of media.

On the other hand, Escanaba Area Public Schools has generally lost more students than it has gained through school of choice.

“I think that, historically, Escanaba hasn’t benefitted from school of choice,” Superintendent Coby Fletcher said.

Fletcher was also concerned by how Michigan’s version of school of choice can affect school districts financially.

“When a student leaves a district, all of the money associated with that student leaves the district and goes to the receiving district, but all of the costs associated with that student don’t leave when the student does,” he said.

Unlike Kulbertis, Fletcher did not have any issues with the idea of school of choice-related competition. He noted it has given his school district an incentive to differentiate itself from other districts in the area.

“I don’t necessarily think competition is bad,” Fletcher said.

As part of its promotional efforts, Escanaba Area Public Schools has put a spotlight on the academic performance of its students.

“We try to emphasize the fact that we perform exceptionally well in terms of our standardized testing scores,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher also noted the district has worked to promote its range of academic, athletic and extracurricular opportunities.

Along with its ongoing promotion, Fletcher said the district is working on plans to more heavily market itself as a school of choice option while providing school of choice-related information to area families. He did not have additional details to share regarding the plans.

“That’s top-secret for now,” he said.