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Flint board approves $52,000 enrollment initiative to boost retention and outreach
Summary
The Flint Board of Education approved a $52,000 budget to fund a district enrollment and retention initiative centered on retaining current families, family-centered enrollment, intentional family engagement and targeted supports for special populations.
The Flint Board of Education voted to approve a $52,000 enrollment and retention initiative after a presentation from Ernest Stewart, director of student services and centralized enrollment. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with five yes, one no and one absent.
Stewart told the board the plan focuses on four areas: retaining current families by preventing scholar withdrawals, prioritizing family-centered enrollment (for example, enrolling siblings together when possible), increasing intentional family engagement through scheduling and incentives, and providing targeted support for special populations including special education, McKinney‑Vento and foster‑care students. Stewart said the district will use surveys, neighborhood canvassing with a partner called Concentric and a districtwide QR-coded satisfaction survey to gather family feedback.
The $52,000 request covers outreach, events and marketing tied to those strategies. Stewart described a timeline of activities including kindergarten round‑up, pop‑up enrollment events, building open houses before the start of school and a back‑to‑school event intended as a capstone. He also described nontraditional outreach ideas such as running brief Flint Community Schools promotional content in movie theaters and producing social‑media material, including TikTok clips, to reach younger parents.
Board members asked for clarification of line items (supplies, brochures, and the movie‑theater concept) and suggested additional steps such as surveying teachers and strengthening building‑level culture and safety. Trustee King asked whether movie‑theater spots and supplies were included in the budget and was told they were covered under the requested funds; other members encouraged greater principal involvement and suggested the board appear in some public outreach materials.
The vote approving the budget was: Secretary Perkins — yes; Trustee Booth — yes; Vice President McIntyre — yes; Trustee Rutherford — no; Trustee King — yes; Trustee Jelones/Luna — absent; President McNiel — yes. Implementation will be led by the student services/enrollment team and coordinated with district communications; Stewart said the program will be reported back to the board as activities are scheduled and executed.
