Lincoln Consolidated Schools leader outlines budget projections for 2010-2011
Lincoln Consolidated Schools expects its school enrollment numbers to keep declining as medical and retirement costs continue to rise in the 2010-11 fiscal year, Superintendent Lynn Cleary told the board during a recent budget presentation.
Among the most serious projections are reductions in special education funding.
As the district plans for the next fiscal year budget, Cleary laid out several significant budget assumptions:
- A 2.5-3 percent decrease in enrollment.
- A 0.5-2 percent increase in retirement costs.
- A $300 per-pupil decrease in state aid funding
- A 2 percent increase health care costs.
- Step increases for teachers.
- Special education funding reductions.
![lincoln_bus.jpg](http://www.annarbor.com/assets_c/2009/12/lincoln_bus-thumb-200x300-18725.jpg)
Washtenaw County's traditional school districts are considering a plan to consolidate transportation.
File photo
Kathy Secor, business director for Lincoln schools, said in the best case scenario, the district will be forced to pull $1.9 million out of its general fund to cover special education costs.
The expected $300 per-pupil decrease in state aid isn't as bad as the district first anticipated, but board President Kim Samuelson said that number could fluctuate as it has in the past.
“It is good news, however, it’s very unstable and until (the state) gets into the same situation and timeframe next year, we don’t know for sure what it will be,” she said.
The district also must start paying step increases to teachers after the Lincoln Education Association agreed to a one-year freeze for this school year. An exact amount of what those raises will cost the district next year is not yet available.
In an effort to offset some of the lost revenue and increased costs, Cleary also laid out several major adjustments expected to start next fall.
Among the measures being discussed:
- Consolidating administrative services with neighboring districts.
- Moving Bessie Hoffman’s multiage program to the main campus.
- Implementing countywide transportation.
- Increasing schools of choice enrollment.
- Reducing staff due to enrollment decreases.
Cleary had already informed the transportation department that if she decided to outsource transportation - instead of opting for a countywide arrangement - she would provide employees there with an opportunity to match the savings.
Samuelson said the same opportunity would be provided to the custodial department.
“That’s a situation again where we will give our union an opportunity to see where they might be able to save the same amount of money as well,” she said.
The district likely won't outsource busing and is exploring how to share routes with neighboring districts to cut down on “deadhead” miles - those in which no students are on the bus, but the buses are on their way to pick up kids, officials said.
“We need to figure out where the best parked buses are to start their run so that they are utilized to their fullest capacity,” Secor said. “It would cut down on the number of miles when there are no students on the buses. If you do it that way, you will save money.”
Although Cleary didn’t elaborate on what a sharing arrangement would look like or which districts would share services, Ypsilanti Superintendent Dedrick Martin told the Ypsilanti school board on Monday that he'd had several conversations with Cleary. The two districts are arranging a joint board meeting in February.
Secor used the example of the two districts needing only one human resources employee because the job in both is essentially the same.
“They’re looking at ways to share administrators and to share administrative costs - it might be a 60-40 or 50-50 split, where before it used to cost us a whole person,” she said.
Secor said moving the multiage program from Bessie Hoffman, which is seven miles south of the district's main campus in Wayne County, to the main campus has several benefits.
Six buses currently make runs to the building from all corners of the district, food service is provided to the students, and two full-time custodians are required to maintain the school.
Secor sees another benefit in maximizing use of the main campus.
“Each year we’ve lost students, and our buildings aren’t being utilized 100 percent,” she said.
Despite adding students through schools of choice, Lincoln expects to see a 3 percent drop in enrollment and will make staff reductions accordingly, officials said.
”We feel we are going to lose students this fall as we did last fall,” Secor said.
No numbers are yet available for how much each of the measures might save the district.
Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
A2CarGuy
Mon, Jan 18, 2010 : 4:53 p.m.
I agree completely that teachers are underpaid. I wish the good ones (not just the most senior ones) made twice as much as they do now. But the problem before us now is how much CAN we pay them. Because the answer to that question is so painful, most everyone is just ignoring it. The fact is we can't afford to pay teachers what we used to pay them. Because the whole state is imploding financially, the state government is, therefore the school districts are, too. So we'll keep laying off low seniority teachers and anyone whose job isn't protected by a union. And students will leave as class sizes rise. And then we'll have to cut more. Eventually we'll just have a few high-seniority teachers with nobody to teach.
Captain Magnificent
Mon, Jan 18, 2010 : 4:53 p.m.
Why no mention of the monorail they're considering? That could go a long way towards reducing their expenditures.
glimmertwin
Mon, Jan 18, 2010 : 11:59 a.m.
I personally think teachers are underpaid as it is. However, when I hear that my kid "had a substitute today" for the umpteenth time and the school year isn't even half over, there is definitely abuse there. The way its going is classroom sizes will be 60 kids before long.
A2CarGuy
Mon, Jan 18, 2010 : 11:06 a.m.
Consolidating administrative services (i.e. those staff who aren't in a union) is a diversion. Minimal cost savings with a good chance of causing bureaucratic obstacles for staff and students. Even closing a building or privatizing transportation won't be enough to solve the current crisis. The biggest part of the budget is teacher salaries and benefits. Step increases alone will open another big, red hole. That's where the changes have to be made. If you're a passenger on a sinking ship, and you see the officers and crew busily rearranging deck chairs, then you can either (a) demand that the captain assign everyone to the difficult job of PLUGGING THE HOLE, or (b) go find a lifeboat for yourself. Unfortunately it appears that those in the know are going to choose option b, and a lot of people (students and staff) are going to be left to go down with the ship.
david craven
Mon, Jan 18, 2010 : 9:24 a.m.
Every job in America has to pay some kind od co-pay on insurance if it's not cut all together Why not Teachers and Politicians they are not above us all!Our co-pay got raised and we didn't have a choice do it or drop it. Times are bad all over we all have to give a little or we all lose. Holding our kids hostage is not the answer I thought we are supposed to protect kids not use them for a bargening tool to get your way. You always here that we need to protect the kids in our life but when it comes to crunck time kids get the raw end of the deal along with community protection. I'm personally tired of the "I got mine attitude and screw you" attitude in America. Oh by the way isn't how the Comunisum was run until it failed the rich and elite got theirs and took from every one else to do it.