The morning after Oxford Community Schools went on prime time television to showcase itself and attract new enrollment to the district, the fax machine brought good news ? new enrollments into Oxford.
So far, according to superintendent Dr. William Skilling, 12 new elementary school students have enrolled in Oxford.
All 12 students are ‘Schools of Choice? students, meaning they’re nonresident students who can be counted into the school’s membership without having to have approval from the district of residence.
Of the 12, four are from Brandon, two from Rochester, two from Farmington Hills and one from Pontiac. Where the other three students are from was not available at press time.
Skilling said at this time he’s not factoring in the new students moving here, since the families are still in the process of moving to Oxford.
The results of the half-hour infomercial could be considered a solid return on the school’s investment ? each new student brings $7,500 in additional annual state funding.
At 12 students, that totals $90,000. The infomercial cost Oxford Schools $25,000, meaning the school has netted $65,000.
‘It’s more than paid for itself already,? Skilling said.
The school has other students whose enrollments are not connected to the television infomercial. These 12, he said, stated on the registration paperwork they came because of the infomercial.
One of the things families in particular liked about Oxford is the language program, particularly in the early elementary years. Parents have stated this is very important to them, the superintendent said.
‘The greatest capacity to acquire a language is when you’re young, so since we start schooling in kindergarten, that’s actually the best year to start a new language,? Skilling said.
Not only is Oxford getting new students, but new families are also moving here. One Realtor, the superintendent noted, has received an offer on an area home, the offer coming from parents who saw the program. Another family from Wayne County is looking to purchase a home here.
Carol Mitchell, who serves as secretary for the Oxford Board of Education and also works as a Realtor for John Burt Realty, said the last year was her best year in the past 10 years. How’s this year going? ‘Wonderful,? she said.
Mitchell recalled one couple, who had worked for GM and were looking for a new town to move to, had looked everywhere.
‘They saw the TV program, thought Oxford has the best schools in Oakland County and now they’re buying a home here,? she said.
Among the buyers have been young families who are first-time buyers.
When it comes to those who are school of choice students or families simply looking for a school district for their kids, Skilling said the main reason why they did the infomercial is to target ‘school shopping? families and encourage them to locate here in Oakland County.
‘We wanted to make sure we had our message out there of Oxford is best place to move to,? he explained. ‘First and foremost, to get families to move here to Oxford. Second, if that’s not doable for them, then provide opportunities for school of choice kids to come.?
Whether more families of new students move here depends on how successful they’ll be securing housing before the start of the school year.
Skilling sees all the Oakland County public schools as good ones, adding they’re the best grouping of public schools in Michigan.
‘When we talk about Oxford, we don’t put somebody else down but rather just talk about Oxford in terms of what niche we might fill regarding what they’re looking for in a school district,? he said.
Because websites tend to be the top resource parents of prospective students look at, available on Oxford Schools? site is a six-minute clip of what people saw on Channel 7. The program will air again on television in the future, although Skilling doesn’t know the date yet.
Even with the positive results so far, the superintendent doesn’t think they’ll do this television program in the future. They plan to use the district’s ‘in-house talent? to feature video streaming from the website. He also plans to continue promoting Oxford when he goes to educational conferences.
Besides, Skilling added, the program has accomplished its purpose and with the tight budget, he’s reluctant to spend $25,000 again.
‘I don’t want to spend this kind of money each year,? he explained. ‘We have a marketing budget and that’s where most of it went. I think that we’re going to struggle as a school district in Michigan for couple of more years. Our goal is to try to avoid making any cuts that would impact student programming or opportunities and work to get through this time period. We’ve chosen to ratchet our marketing for a few years to attract more students and families to the district.?
Once the economy finally rebounds, Skilling added, Oxford will probably no longer be open to Schools of Choice since they won’t need to be. He does see Oxford as a place that will not only grow, but will be the fastest-growing district in Oakland County. Besides the schools, he thinks prospective families will also be drawn to the community, parks and recreation services, various housing types, along with the numerous lakes and golf courses.
‘Everything you’d want is right here in Oxford, and you don’t have all the congestion,? he said.