Oxford Superintendent Dr. William Skilling was among the approximately 1,500 parents and educators from around the state who traveled to Lansing Nov. 10 to protest educational spending cuts and meet with legislators.
‘This is just the beginning of a greater, grassroots effort to get more and more people coming to Lansing to meet with legislators and say, you need to fix this structural problem that we have with Proposal A,? he said. ‘You’re definitely going to see bigger numbers coming to Lansing.?
Approved by state voters in 1994, Proposal A is the mechanism through which school districts are funded.
But when Skilling spoke with Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop’s legislative aides and state Rep. Jim Marleau (R-Lake Orion), he didn’t do what most people would probably expect a school administrator to do in this case.
‘I said to them, I’m not coming here to whine about school funding,? explained Skilling, who went to the state Capitol with Clear Lake parent Margaret Evans, Oxford Education Association President Jim Gibbons and School Board Member-Elect Robert Martin.
Instead, Skilling offered them a ‘three-prong? approach by which state legislators and school districts would each play a role in helping solve the educational funding crisis.
‘I wanted to give a different perspective,? the superintendent explained. ‘I think a lot of people just want the legislators to solve the problem. I don’t think that’s fair to expect that. We all need to do more.?
In Prong One, Skilling called on legislators to restore school funding to the 2008-09 level, then freeze it for the current school year and for 2010-11. During this time, he said state lawmakers must come up with a stable funding structure for schools.
Skilling said the state has to stop trying to generate revenue off a manufacturing-based economy that ‘barely exists? and start focusing on its service economy.
‘I think you need to give serious consideration to taxing certain services ? those services that will not adversely affect the poor like health care,? he said.
Skilling’s Prong Two called for school districts to ‘become more efficient in how they use their resources? and ‘look for ways to generate new revenue streams.?
Prong Three would have school district employees making wage concessions and contributing more to health care costs.
‘We need to reflect the same type of belt-tightening that’s going on outside the schools,? Skilling said. ‘It would not be fair or ethical for school employees to expect that we don’t have to do something . . . when all of our parents are doing so.?
The superintendent proposed that all state employees, which includes school employees, be mandated to contribute a minimum percentage to their health care.
If, for example, that percentage was 20 percent, Oxford Schools would save ‘a little over $900,000 immediately,? according to Skilling.
Overall, the superintendent said the folks in Lansing, even superintendents from other districts, were ‘very receptive? to his message.
Skilling is hoping state lawmakers will act quickly because if they don’t do something this month, school funding for all districts will be cut by $127 per student in December to make up for a $212 million budget shortfall.
This cut would come on top of a budget bill signed into law last month that slashed school funding by $165 per student.
Together, these cuts would equal a $292 per student reduction for the current school year.
As a result, unless something changes, Oxford Schools is projecting a $100,000 deficit at the end of this fiscal year, although Skilling said the district is working hard at finding ways to save more money and prevent that from happening.
However, if need be, the district can dip into its fund balance to cover the deficit.
‘We’re going to get through this year fine regardless,? said Skilling, who noted the ‘worst year? is probably going to be two years from now unless things change
At the state level, Skilling suggested legislators use the rest of the economic stimulus money Michigan received from the federal government to offset the $127 per student reduction facing districts in December.
But even that would be just a band-aid considering in February 2010, Skilling indicated schools districts will face a third round of cuts equalling at least another $165 per student.
Ultimately, Skilling believes protests like the one he attended will have an impact on state lawmakers and motivate them to act because of the parents in attendance.
‘The majority of people that went to Lansing to meet with legislators were parents. I think that is what they heard loud and clear,? he said. ‘If it was just a bunch of superintendents or school officials, it wouldn’t have near the impact.?
Overall, the superintendent said the folks in Lansing, even superintendents from other districts, were ‘very receptive? to his message.
Skilling is hoping state lawmakers will act quickly because if they don’t do something this month, school funding for all districts will be cut by $127 per student in December to make up for a $212 million budget shortfall.
This cut would come on top of a budget bill signed into law last month that slashed school funding by $165 per student.
Together, these cuts would equal a $292 per student reduction for the current school year.
As a result, unless something changes, Oxford Schools is projecting a $100,000 deficit at the end of this fiscal year, although Skilling said the district is working hard at finding ways to save more money and prevent that from happening.
However, if need be, the district can dip into its fund balance to cover the deficit.
‘We’re going to get through this year fine regardless,? said Skilling, who noted the ‘worst year? is probably going to be two years from now unless things change
At the state level, Skilling suggested legislators use the rest of the economic stimulus money Michigan received from the federal government to offset the $127 per student reduction facing districts in December.
But even that would be just a band-aid considering in February 2010, Skilling indicated schools districts will face a third round of cuts equalling at least another $165 per student.
Ultimately, Skilling believes protests like the one he attended will have an impact on state lawmakers and motivate them to act because of the parents in attendance.
‘The majority of people that went to Lansing to meet with legislators were parents. I think that is what they heard loud and clear,? he said. ‘If it was just a bunch of superintendents or school officials, it wouldn’t have near the impact.?