The cash-strapped Detroit Public Schools racked up an additional $18.7 million in debt from July through September after its plan to boost enrollment failed, and it spent above budgeted amounts on security, transportation and maintenance.
....

The largest school district in the state, DPS had 300,000 students in the mid-1960s. After decades of steep enrollment  drops, demographers told DPS as it prepared its 2013-14 budget in June to expect another enrollment drop of 5,000 students and to budget for 46,000 students.

Instead, the district announced it would [try to] attract 5,000 new students, for a total of 51,000, and approved a budget of $687 million.

Financial experts said that was DPS's biggest mistake.

Conway said he struggled to understand DPS' decision to budget an increase in students and revenues when the city is in decline. "You just added to the pile of debt," he said. "You are building a bigger mountain to climb."