By Susan Bromley
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp.- The cuts are coming, and they will affect students, parents, and school district staff here in ways that may have once seemed unimaginable.
A list of recommended cuts for the 2010-11 school year was rolled out at the finance committee’s March 29 meeting. Among the most impacting to the community would be complete elimination of busing for students in grades 7-12, privatization of all transportation, the closing of the swimming pool, lay-offs of six teachers, elimination of all nine Kindergarten paraprofessional positions, cutting of some special education parapros, elimination of the school liaison officer, and no more band program at the intermediate school.
‘These are all the things we are looking at? recommendations for discussion as we try to figure out how to cut our budget,? said Superintendent Lorrie McMahon of the list, which can be found in its entirety on page 20. ‘We have a $2.5 million deficit, but we expect greater reductions for next year, so our target is $3.5 million, which is the total of all the things on this list. We will have to do all of these or substitute with something else.?
She acknowledged that the committee has already looked elsewhere for cuts, and the proposed list is what they came up with.
During the meeting, an audience of about 20 people including some teachers and bus drivers watched as McMahon ticked down the list of cuts and estimated savings.
The subtotal of savings for the proposed changes is $3,480,597; however, even though this was the first public presentation of the list and it has yet to be taken to the school board, there is already dissent? even from committee members.
‘Eliminating busing doesn’t make sense,? said Committee Member Debbie Schummer. ‘I would need to see no other recourse.?
‘We’re very rural,? McMahon said. ‘It would be harder here to stop transportation than in other districts.?
If the district were to eliminate busing for middle and high school students and take that savings ($500,000), it would lower the estimated savings of privatizing transportation services throughout the district. Plante & Moran, an auditing, accounting, tax and business advisory firm, has said the district can save 20 percent ($311,000) of their current transportation costs by hiring an outside company to provide busing. A request for proposal is being prepared to take bids from private companies for student bus service. A request for proposal is also being prepared for custodial services, as Plante & Moran has estimated 20 percent would also be saved by privatization in that area. District officials say this would net a savings of $546,594.
‘If we privatize, we may be able to keep some of the other busing that we are possibly going to lose,? McMahon said. ‘It’s 100 percent an economic decision. It is not in any way our first choice.?
The proposed closing of the swimming pool also generated discussion. While the closing would save the district $130,000 in expenses, $12,000 would have to be refunded in membership dues and $20,000 would have to be used to maintain the pool, for a net savings of $98,000. Without the pool, there will be no swim team at Brandon, and no aquatics and fitness center for use by the community. Solar heating has been considered as a way to save on pool expenses, but McMahon noted that has start-up costs.
A recreational millage to support use of the pool was one of several ideas to generate revenue in the district, as well as an increase in pay-to-participate fees; increase of the amount charged for facilities use to the Brandon Recreation Department and the Junior Blackhawks; the sale of message space on electronic signs; an increase in high school parking fees; and advertising at sporting events and on the high school campus during certain events, which the district recently decided to pursue through Alternative Revenue Development.
During public comments at the end of the committee meeting, Harvey Swanson Elementary Principal Helen Clemetsen made a plea for boardmembers to consider reduction of paraprofessionals instead of complete elimination.
‘We get a big bang for our buck with the kindergarten parapros,? she said. ‘Some of our (kindergarten) students are reading already and we have some that can’t hold pens. There is also the safety aspect of managing in the lunchroom with all-day kindergarten. The parapros help with that. (All the cuts) are heart-wrenching today, but please consider the little kindergarteners… We can’t always count on parent volunteers 100 percent of the time.?
Teacher Laura Frye said that not providing bus service would target some of the neediest kids in the district and worried that it would raise truancy rates.
‘What will they do without bus transportation?? she asked. ‘It would put a huge burden on those families. We have kids that can’t stay after school now for activities because they don’t have a ride home.?
Frye suggested pay cuts for administrative positions including the superintendent and curriculum director, saying the concessions would be a ‘nice precedent.?
McMahon responded that administrators had accepted a pay freeze.
Kathy Evans, a bus driver in the district, questioned why teachers weren’t taking pay cuts.
‘They’re controlling schools and not giving anything back,? she said. ‘They could give 5 percent back and save teachers? jobs.?
McMahon noted that unless the teacher’s union agrees, the contract can’t be opened for negotiations until September.
‘The goal should be shared sacrifice, because otherwise there is in-fighting,? said Boardmember Luke Frye.
On Tuesday, McMahon expressed her frustration with the way the state funds public school districts.
‘I think the state of Michigan ought to be paying for education, and beyond that they need to make decisions and not make administrators make budgets on guesses because the legislature can’t decide how much they are going to fund,? she said. ‘They’re all difficult cuts because at this point, they all affect students. The cuts will be deep and will be painful because we don’t know our funding. In building a budget we have to consider the worst case scenario, and it puts the integrity of our education program at risk.?
The 2010-11 school district budget has to be approved by the end of June. McMahon is hoping for it to be completed by early June, and with two readings of the budget required, she would like a final decision on cuts to be made by mid-May.
The next finance committee meeting will be 5:30 p.m., April 5, at central district office, 1025 S. Ortonville Road. The next school board meeting is 6:30 p.m., April 12, at the Brandon High School Performing Arts Center, 1025 S. Ortonville Road.
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