Less money is coming into Clarkston’s schools, and more is going out.
That was the message Monday as the Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education began discussing budget parameters for the coming school year.
Next year’s revenue was estimated at $78,170,845, but officials agreed to lower that number by $810,000. After discussing the probability’or not’of receiving a $100-per-student increase in state funding, the board decided on a better-safe-than-sorry approach to budgeting for the increase.
Superintendent Al Roberts agreed, noting the latest revenue estimating conference in Lansing ‘was not good news.?
‘The board’s conservative approach has served us well,? Roberts said. ‘We’re not in quite as difficult a position as some school districts. That being said, if economic conditions continue as they are, (spending) will continue to outpace revenue.?
Contracted staff and teacher salary increases, along with a projected 5-percent hike in health benefit costs, represent much of the increase in spending, administrators said.
‘We have some staffing decisions to make by April,? said Stephen Hyer, school board president. ‘We want to make sure we have enough information so everyone is comfortable making those decisions without feeling rushed, as is sometimes the case.?
April 30 is the deadline for issuing teacher layoff notices, but at least seven new teachers will be needed when the all-day every-day kindergarten program begins in September.
Trustee Joan Patterson said she was disturbed over mixed economic forecasts for the coming year, noting information coming from Oakland County was more dire than from the state.
‘If the county takes a negative scenario, we might not get a lot of the services we’re expecting,? she said. ‘We should pay attention to how other groups are handling their budgets.?
But Hyer reminded the board of a decision made earlier in the school year.
‘In past years, we’ve chased our tails a little as the wind direction changed in Lansing,? he said. ‘We’ve changed revenue estimates and changed our scenarios based on what we were hearing. This year, as a board, we decided we weren’t going to play that game; we decided to set revenue parameters and stick with them.?
The budget process will continue through June, with a hearing and adoption currently slated for June 22.