You can't help but notice all the new subdivisions in the area, and the subdivisions are attracting families. Feverish growth in central Macomb County has districts like Chippewa Valley and L'Anse Creuse looking at building a half-dozen schools in the next five years. In Dearborn, a magnet for young families and immigrants, some teachers roam the halls with carts as they share space. And in Hamtramck, administrators are turning closets and basements into classrooms. The enrollment counts are important to schools because state aid is based on these numbers.
More students mean more money.
It's become critical in Hamtramck, where enrollment has risen about 3 percent since last year in the 3,400-student district. We've had a little population explosion. Classrooms are being created in basements and the district rents space from parochial schools to teach newcomers. New buildings mean higher tax bills, and residents aren't always willing to pay more. The crowding threatens the Detroit enclave's ability to attract and keep families as residents, said Wozniak, who as the father of an infant daughter may become an example of that.