Brandon Twp.-A public hearing on the proposed school district budget will be held at 6:30 p.m., Monday, June 10, at the I-TEC building, 609 S. Ortonville Road.
?(The hearing) will be a presentation on what the expected budget will be for the district for the 2013-2014 school year,? said Superintendent Lorrie McMahon. ‘It won’t be voted on, it’s just a hearing.?
McMahon had no firm numbers for a final budget, as the district is still receiving changing numbers on what they can expect to receive from the state.
In previous workshops, the school board has proposed a list of budget cuts totalling $1.2 million, including reductions of teachers and non-instructional staff in order to adopt a non-deficit budget by June 30 as required by the state.
Among those cuts was the elimination of the assistant superintendent position, which the board approved in April, a savings of $150,000 to the district. Carole Beverwyk, who held the position, has given her resignation to the district. On Wednesday, McMahon said the board had approved the position to be brought back, but added, ‘we are not doing that right away.?
Contract negotiations with the Brandon Education Association, representing teachers in the district, continues. Last month, a fact finder appointed by the state to help in negotiations, recommended that teachers in the district accept a 7.5 percent wage reduction for two years.
The recommendation itself is non-binding, but the two sides are bound by law to negotiate for 60 days following submission of the report findings. If they do not reach an agreement, the district can impose the 7.5 percent wage reduction.
‘We have no plans yet to implement the fact finder recommendation, we are still negotiating,? said McMahon.