Washtenaw county school districts react to potential $218 per pupil state cuts
Ann Arbor school board President Deb Mexicotte lambasted state legislators Wednesday following news that they're considering cutting $218 in per-pupil funding from school districts in the upcoming state budget, which goes into effect Oct. 1.Â
A House committee approved the per-pupil reduction yesterday. The full House and Senate still have to vote on it.
“Our legislators, who have told us that educating our students is a priority … that they would turn around and remove funds … is unconscionable. Where is our anger at how they are treating our students?" she said. "They work for us and we need to let them know how we feel.”
Local districts stand to lose millions of dollars from the budget cuts. Replacing that money would be almost impossible, various district officials said.
"First, the proposed $218 per student cut to local school districts is extreme," said Brian Marcel, the Washtenaw Intermediate School District's assistant superintendent for business services. "It will be a devastating $10 million loss to Washtenaw County school districts and their students this current school year. Our schools can’t continue to make deep cuts."
"We urge our legislators to turn down this bill and fill the gap with Recovery Act (stimulus) money now. And, then go back and develop a more equitable funding plan."
Washtenaw County's cash-strapped districts are already asking voters to approve a countywide enhancement millage in November to help ease their budget pain. The measure would place a new 2-mill tax on property owners in Washtenaw County. The money raised would be distributed to each of the 10 local traditional school districts.
In Ann Arbor, the district stands to lose about $3.6 million from the state cuts, Superintendent Todd Roberts said. The district also would lose additional money through other funding cuts, Roberts said.
“It would really create a significant hardship for school districts,” Roberts said.
In Ypsilanti, the cut would cost the district about $1 million, Superintendent Dedrick Martin said in a statement e-mailed to AnnArbor.com.
“We are disappointed that the state legislature is considering significant cuts to public education," he said in the statement. "This decision will have a major negative impact on our overall budget, to the tune of approximately $1 million. We are hopeful that the regional enhancement millage, if passed, will somewhat soften the blow. Regardless, we are going to have to tighten our belt and adjust to the state’s new financial realities.”
In Saline, the district stands to lose $1.1 million in state funding, Superintendent Scot Graden tweeted yesterday.
The biggest problem facing districts is that they were required to set their budgets before the start of the July 1 fiscal year. That means they had to project funding from the state, which makes up the bulk of their income.
Making cuts during their budget year, when people and programs are already in place, is more painful than cutting them before the year starts, administrators said. Districts didn’t know where the cuts would be made if the measure is passed.
The bill would also strip funding from the WISD, Marcel said.
"In addition to the $10 million per pupil cut to our local districts, the reduction in state funding to the WISD would be approximately $850,000 this school year. This loss would directly impact our general education fund. Excluding grant-funded and special projects, it represents more than 25 percent of WISD’s general education revenue.
"This would directly impact services to the more than 46,000 students in Washtenaw County’s ten local school districts."
On the early childhood education front, the committee restored all of the Great Start Readiness Program "state aid formula" funding, which provides funds for public school programs that serve at-risk kids, and restored half of the GSRP "competitive" funding, which provides funds to private, non-profit agencies.
Perry Nursery School in Ann Arbor, which serves only at-risk children, receives about 40 percent of its funding from GSRP competitive grants.
According to Melissa Pinsky, co-director of the Washtenaw Great Start Collaborative, a task force that supports local early childhood education, the budget passed by the committee also would:
- Reduce 0-3 Secondary Prevention Grants aimed at home visitation and parent education to prevent child abuse and neglect by 25 percent.
- Reduce funding for the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, the state body that oversees local programs that foster school readiness for young children, by $750,000, bringing its funding to $6 million.Â
- Maintain $5 million in funding for the Great Parents, Great Start program, which supports community efforts to develop parent involvement and education programs.
Pinsky, who attended the committee meeting with a contingent of early childhood educators, said she was encouraged that some early childhood funding was restored but dismayed at the cuts to K-12 education.
"We believe that education at all levels is critical to the well-being of our state, and are deeply concerned that the school aid budget as proposed pits early childhood against K-12 services," Pinsky said. "We will continue to advocate for programs that serve young children and their families, but do not believe that these should be funded at the expense of K-12 programs, including intermediate school districts."
David Jesse covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at davidjesse@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2534.
Jen Eyer contributed to this report. She is on the Community team and leads the Parenting section, and can be reached at jeneyer@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2577.
Comments
Dr. I. Emsayin
Sun, Sep 27, 2009 : 11:54 a.m.
Do you know that in many districts, such as Ann Arbor, students who fail a class in high school must repeat it online instead of back in the same type of classroom where they failed the first time around? This saves the district money by not having to hire subject specific teachers for these students. And because the state standards have become much more rigorous, it is harder for a student to slide by. Teachers are held highly accountable for every students' performance. The days of lazy teachers are soon to be gone because of the governmental demands on education. Teachers are involved in upgrading their ability year-round through district mandated workshops on curriculum and through college courses that are required always to keep one's certification. Teachers pay out of pocket for all required graduate education, which averages about $4000 a year for 3-6 credits. The taxpayers are getting a bargain on teacher salaries. Where else does a person with two master's degrees make under 90K a year? Lawyers have 3 years post bachelor's degree, MBA's two years, and they don't need to keep paying for more education to get a raise. Let's give some recognition to dedicated teachers who stick with our kids because their reward is well educated, thoughtful, members of society. Thank you, educators!
Really?
Sat, Sep 26, 2009 : 7:27 p.m.
A2Flow, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
MiAuto#1
Sat, Sep 26, 2009 : 9:04 a.m.
I have had kids in A.A. schools. I have tremendous respect for good teachers. People who dedicate their lives to providing the best. Unfortunately, far too many are content with providing excuses. My experience was that roughly half of the teachers were highly unmotivated and were acting like they were not in a competitive environment. Our children do deserve the best. They are not getting it. The few(roughly half) that do care a great deal have to carry the rest. To be fair to the hard working teachers, we need to change the system to root out the ones who are not preparing our children to compete in an ever more challenging work environment. Also, I've heard a few teachers complain that if they do challenge the students too much, the parents complain about the teachers picking on their kids. We have to change the culture and they system! As far as pay goes, I think the good teachers are making half of what they should. Many of the other teachers honestly don't sound even very educated. I question whether they should even be making half of what they are paid. They have complained so much about the slim possibility of not having as much job security because of the yearly standardized tests that are now required of the students. That speaks to me. If they had less job security, maybe they would try harder!
DagnyJ
Sat, Sep 26, 2009 : 8:35 a.m.
AA schools have places to cut, consolidate, trim, and make more efficient. If school leaders start yelping about cutting music and art, then you know it's just politics to get people to pay more. Consolidate schools. That's the first step.
Really?
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 10:25 p.m.
I am so sad to see how little respect teachers are getting these days. Apparently, they are overpaid babysitters who get off work at 3 and have tons of vacations. Has it really come to this? Do people really not understand the power of education? Your children deserve teachers who are well paid and well educated. They deserve people who continue going to school for the rest of their careers (6 credit hours every five years) and they certainly deserve the support of their community.
sh1
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 8:46 p.m.
Mr. Jesse, you reposted the teacher salaries of teachers who have the highest level of experience and education in our district. aataxpayer said teacher reach $80,000 after "several steps on the pay scale," which is patently false and meant to mislead.
ready
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 5:47 p.m.
Tell me, how many actual hours per year does a teacher work? The administrator? the superintendent? How many hours do they work in their career to get lifetime retirement benefits?
TXteacher
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 2:33 p.m.
Many of us who were Michigan teachers in the early 80's know this is the same old problem. That's why so many of us left the state for greener pastures. The state of Michigan needs to understand that they are in a competitive situations with other states for a talented employee pool. Their inaction and unwillingness to fix these problems over the decades has sent many packing for greener pastures. Fix your high tax policies which too often don't go to essential services, and make educating children a high priority, or the talent pool will continue to seek employment elsewhere. This all has such a familiar refrain. Stop electing lawmakers who could care less!
MiAuto#1
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 1:47 p.m.
"First, the proposed $218 per student cut to local school districts is extreme," said Brian Marcel, the Washtenaw Intermediate School District's assistant superintendent for business services. "It will be a devastating $10 million loss to Washtenaw County school districts and their students this current school year. Our schools cant continue to make deep cuts." PLEASE SEE THIS FOR THE LAZY COMMENT THAT IT IS! Whether it be in the auto industry or any other industry, Michigan companies are having to make incredible changes. Yes, education is vital. But, if the hard earned tax dollars of Michigan residents are not being used in the most efficient manner possible, why should we have to listen to the complaints of people who don't want to work hard and sacrifice? Governments and large companies have an automatic tendency to become bigger and less efficient by nature. That's ok. When the economy is booming things swell and no one cares too much or even notices. Now, when things are down, we need to trim the fat and cut down to the essentials. We need to strive for new and better ways to do things. The Michigan auto industry will survive and prosper. In the long run, they will be better off for the inspiration brought on by all of the devastation that is occurring now. Lansing, local officials and the teacher's union had better step up to the plate in the same manner. A broad "budget" approach is not enough. Roll up your sleeves and "re-tool" the school system. Many changes can still be made. I agree with Art in his comment. Ten years ago, the UAW would not have dreamt of all the changes that have now come to pass. Soon, many high quality teachers who have been unemployed may be happily lining up to work for less after the school system reaches it's breaking point. Those of us who are making much less than we used to have very little patience for the arrogant attitudes from those people who are demanding more when it just doesn't exist!
aataxpayer
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 12:56 p.m.
Art, In my experience most teachers don't have a 30 and out attitude or retire at age 52 simply because they can't afford to do so. Regarding bargaining with the unions, we definitely need reforms at the state level so that taxpayer concerns can be better addressed. The biggest problems are in Lansing.
a2resident
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 12:53 p.m.
I am an Ann Arbor tax payer and I have students in Ann Arbor schools. I can't comment on other districts, but I personally find the situation here disgusting. I have observed good teachers and administrators as well as those who are quite bad. I am very sick of listening to the complaints about how there isn't enough money and we are underpaid and don't have enough money to work with. The attitude from more than a few is that we are just going to coast through and do the least we have to since this is SUCH a bad situation. It could be a lot worse. Stop complaining because YOU haven't gotten enough raises and you have less teachers and staff. I don't hear the "Let's work harder and make the best of this" kind of attitude very often. I've found the working relationship between teachers and administrators poor also. If the "team" isn't going to buckle down with a good attitude and truly try to make the best of the situation, schools will continue to get worse. Also, purchasing is another HUGE area of opportunity in the WASTE of the big machine that is Ann Arbor public schools. I own a business. I had called in the past and been told bidding was not up for renewal for a couple years. I was never contacted. Later, I tried to submit a bid. It was after they had stopped accepting bids but before they had awarded the contract to anyone. My bid was approximately 20% less than any other, but they said, "Sorry, you're too late. Call us back in 3 years." I could easily fill the contract and make money. Instead, they are wasting enough to pay more than two teacher's salaries by using more expensive vendors. I even asked, "In this economy, why offer a multi-year contract and be tied down and reduce competition?" The purchasing manager and her secretary say they are all that's left of the purchasing department, so they have to keep their job as simple as possible and do the best they can. I suggest more people challenge Ann Arbor Public Schools to stop "business as usual". Every business that is still open right now has had to adapt and make major changes to handle a much more difficult environment. The ones that just complain are out of business. If there became a process of "start over from the ground up", I believe they could provide more and better services for less than they spend now.
Art Vandelay
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 10:53 a.m.
The Ann Arbor School Board will now scream poverty after just giving 80% of the budget away to some of the best paid teachers in the world. True the teachers didn't take a salary cut this year but add in the extra health care benefits and I'm sure they got a bigger raise than anyone in the auto industry. This irresponsible behavior by the board goes on after every contract. They give the teachers a raise, get less money from the state and then have to take all the cuts from the remaining 20% of the budget. Until the board takes on the union and brings wages somewhere closer to reality I'll vote no on any new millage requests. There are thousands of qualified people that would love to teach six hours a day, 185 days a year, for 30 years and retire with health care and a $36,000 per year pension at age 52.
Chuck Warpehoski
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 8:44 a.m.
I think this shows much about what is broken about Michigan's budget system. While many people complain about high taxes, Michigan's taxes are relatively low, but it doesn't feel like that to the average middle-or-working-class taxpayer. Why not? 1. Our flat tax system means that people with low incomes and not a lot of extra get squeezed just as much as high-income folks who could spare a bit more. 2. We only have sales tax on goods, not services. This made sense when most of the economy was about goods, but now it's a lot about services. Why is it that when I get my oil changed, I'm taxed on the oil but not the labor? 3. Local governments are only allowed to raise funds through property taxes (or in some cases income taxes). They are not allowed to ask for sales taxes, gas taxes, etc. I think these should be on the table if the local voters think they are good for the community. 4. There are a lot of loopholes in the tax code. These are just a few of the things. Until we start to fix them, we'll be having fights like this every budget, and it won't be pretty.
schoolsmuse
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 8:24 a.m.
And here is another thing. In order for the state to cut the per-pupil funding (at $218 this drops the lowest foundation grant to around $7,100 per student), the state will need to get a federal waiver to make the cuts; without the waiver, Michigan risks losing *millions* of dollars in federal recovery money. In other words, we risk losing even more money from the federal government--and that is true for the Medicaid cuts as well.
schoolsmuse
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 8:10 a.m.
The state itself decided a few years ago that the minimum amount that school districts should be funded at is $8400 per pupil. And only *one* school district in the county--Ann Arbor, which is a hold-harmless district from Proposal A time--is over that number. EVERY OTHER district in the county is below that (most in the $7500-$7900 per pupil range) and yet now they want to cut another more than $200 per pupil. The districts are already half-way into their fiscal years. As the president of the Lincoln School Board writes, how is that fair? In addition, there will be cuts to early childhood education, government revenue-sharing and Medicaid, and both of those affect school districts (getting kids ready for kindergarten? police in the schools? special education billing?). By the way, the WISD has a nice explanation of school funding right here: http://www.wash.k12.mi.us/about/msfc.cfm It is a year or two old but it is still relevant. I've been blogging some about the budget at a2schoolsmuse.blogspot.com and also you can always call your legislators.
Gloriagirl
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 8:10 a.m.
The gravity of the economic environment for Michigan will not change. Most economic predictions indicate Michigan will not recover from the current financial crisis for the next five years based on the decline of the auto industry. This includes Washtenaw county. With job losses, record home foreclosures and mass exodus from the state, Michiganians who fled the state in 2007 took with them almost $1.2 billion more in paychecks. This means every school district has to learn to do business different with less. Its clear teacher contracts recognize the shortfall holding back wage increases. Perhaps a consolidation of school districts could be considered centralized resources and gaining efficiencies in common services. In reality, the economic model used earlier this decade does not work any longer. Add to this the fact that demographics in the county are dramatically changing, becoming less affordable for families with school age children. Its time to acknowledge this reality and move forward with new solutions based on the current economic climate. It will take time and be painful but Washtenaw County has a highly educated population. If anywhere in the state, this county will make the shift and move forward with success. We alway have in the past, so roll up your sleeves and lets get to work.
David Jesse
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 7:37 a.m.
SH1: We posted the Ann Arbor teacher salary scale as a PDF at the end of this story if you want to look at it. http://www.annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-school-board-ratifies-teacher-contract/
sh1
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 6:30 a.m.
aataxpayer, please provide the link for your statements about teacher salaries. They seem really exaggerated to me.
bruno
Fri, Sep 25, 2009 : 5:27 a.m.
IT TAKES A MILLAGE!!!! think of the cuts to our children....we need to pass this millage to continue the level of education our children deserve....if the millage passes, teachers will not have to cut salary raises and contribute to benefits which lets us continue to put the children first...IT TAKES A MILLAGE PEOPLE, IT TAKES A MILLAGE!!!!
Tracy
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 10:18 p.m.
As an employee of Lincoln Consolidated Schools, I'm disheartened with the news that Lansing is even considering more cuts to the K-12 education sector. My husband and I are in the support union that took MAJOR hits to our family income to help keep jobs at Lincoln. This not only affects employees but also the students. A large portion of our support union are not only employees but also parents of students at Lincoln. We see first hand what the lack of funding can and will do to our district. From our experience, it's not the lack of cut backs within our district, it's the representatives in Lansing that need to open their eyes and realize that if the monies aren't there for the school districts, how are we going to educate these kids? The county school millage isn't about getting rich off of the taxpayers, its about trying to hold on to and maintain what the schools have right now, of course that was before the announcement of a larger cut to funding. Things are tight for everyone and hard choices have to be made but when you are talking about the education of the future leaders of our country, how can they think about taking even more money away? What have our representatives given up out of their own pockets/income to help the state? I know that our support group at Lincoln has given back up to 13% of their income plus contributing to our insurance, plus taking on more work because of cutbacks. This has put a hardship on a lot of our employees. The employees at Lincoln care about the children and want the money to be there for them so that they can have a quality education. The people in Lansing need to come down to some of our public schools and see what's going on. We have great programs which will be lost without the state's support. The state needs to stop giving so many tax breaks to huge corporations. Let's talk about the state lottery that was started years ago to help fund schools. Did you know that since a small percentage of the lottery is suppose to go towards funding the schools, the state decided that they could take away that same percentage in their own funding towards the schools? So the schools didn't get a head. They've slowly been treading water and now they're sinking more because of poor state planning. It'a about accountability and the the leaders of the state of Michigan should be held accountable for their decisions, after all, isn't that what we teach our children?
ak
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 8:02 p.m.
"We are hopeful that the regional enhancement millage, if passed, will somewhat soften the blow. " Why do we need another millage increase? Are we not paying enough taxes? What do we do the next year when the budget is a mess? Raise taxes?! Before we are asked to pay more in taxes we should be satisfied that our politicians have taken every necessary measure to appropriate the existing funds. We should not be forced into a corner and forced to pay more tax. How about additional pay cuts or benefit reductions for those who work for us? If they are willing to ask for more of our money, why don't we ask for some of theirs "to soften the blow"?
aataxpayer
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 7:38 p.m.
Dear Cinnabar, Okay - let's talk about salaries. In Ann Arbor teachers, after several step raises, end up getting paid about 80K and I'm told they get retirement pensions at about 40% of that level. Many among us would love that pay level, high level of benefits and job security, and also wouldn't mind getting extended time off in July and August. On the other hand, while experienced public school teachers in Ann Arbor are well paid, they certainly aren't getting rich either.
aareader
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 4:29 p.m.
Ah, the Engler Legacy of "Good Government" lives on CUT CUT CUT. There is no need for a social contract to provide for the common good. Remember taxes are bad as they can only restore services that everyone needs.
KeepingItReal
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 4:28 p.m.
tredd. There's also a fifth one being proposed...a Washtenaw County Human Services Milleage and don't forget that some local municipalities are also exploring placing mileages on the ballot. The problem with the administrators of the school districts and city and county governments is that the easy solution is to tax the citizens of this community. I am a huge supporter of education and quality of life initiatives but the question that we must ask ourselves is how much more taxes can we as taxpayers of this community endure? I am opposed to any more taxes. I would like to see each district explore cost cutting measures before they come to us for additional support.
cinnabar7071
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 3:40 p.m.
I will have no problem voting against this millage. I have a child in private school that cost about half of what AA gets per student, yet I believe my child get a much better education, so why should I feel bad that you can't educate the kids on twice what my child's school gets?
Ric the Ruler
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 3:06 p.m.
I find it ironic that the "fiscally responsible" representatives give the businesses in this state extreme tax breaks, so they will keep and bring jobs here. Then, they say they don't want to raise taxes, because they are "fiscally repsonsible". Well, the money has to come from somewhere. You can't just cut tax and other revenues and expect to balance a budget. Thank you very much "fiscally responsible" representatives. You have sold our kids' future just to get re-elected!
braggslaw
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 2:47 p.m.
Ann Arbor Schools are highly funded. The 218 dollar cut would be between a 1-2 percent cut. The schools need to tighten their belts like everyone else.
heresmine
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 2:40 p.m.
This is prop A coming home to roost. We all wanted lower taxes and shifting the responsibility to the state, instead of the local millage, was attractive back then. It always had the pitfall of "what if" and those times are now upon us. Of course, if the local tax base eroded thru devaluation of property, the result would be pretty much the same.
David Jesse
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 2:10 p.m.
Here's some updates on the budget situation today: From the Detroit News, http://www.detnews.com/article/20090924/POLITICS02/909240454/Granholm-urges-House-to-avoid-drastic-budget-cuts-to-education--public-safety From the Detroit Free Press: http://www.freep.com/article/20090924/NEWS15/90924054/1319/Wrangling-over-cuts-to-city-funds-continues-in-Lansing
DagnyJ
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 2:04 p.m.
How about we don't become donors...period. I've had to live with less income. How about the local government does too?
aataxpayer
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 1:58 p.m.
Yes, Ann Arbor schools get more than other local schools on a per pupil basis, but that was part of the "hold harmless" provision of Proposal A. In fact, businesses and residents within Ann Arbor are extreme "donor" taxpayers. Only 35% of the school taxes sent to the State are returned to Ann Arbor in the form of per pupil funding. The other 65% goes to other school districts to help establish parity among school districts. The situation at the state level is likely to even worse next year, which is why we need to seriously consider passing the WISD millage. Under this millage Ann Arbor school district taxpayers will still be donors to other school districts, but at least on this we'll get about 71% returned rather than only 35%, and at least the other 29% will stay within Washtenaw County. Note that every other school district in the WISD will receive more than they pay under the proposed WISD millage.
a parent
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 1:58 p.m.
Ms. Samuelson, Can you explain why Lincoln receives the least dollar amount per pupil? What is the amount based on?
Kimberly Samuelson
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 1:46 p.m.
This is completely unacceptable. As the President of the Lincoln Consolidated Schools Board of Education I can verify first hand that we have made the tough choices. We approved/passed a balanced budget by June 30, 2009 for the 2009-10 school year as required by law BASED on a potential $110 cut per pupil and a declining enrolment projection. And before you press the "send" button to respond about fiscal responsibility and greed, let me state for the record, that our teachers' union not only took a "pay freeze," they also took a "step freeze." Our support group union took significant pay cuts as well--MAJOR pay cuts to sustain their employment. Further, our non affiliates and Central Office Administrators all accepted pay freezes. Additionally, as a district we have made very difficult budget decisions including eliminating administrators, increasing class sizes thus eliminating teaching positions, cutting extracurricular monies and much more. Again, for the record Lincoln already receives the lowest per pupil funding allotted. Here is a question to ask yourselves, why is it illegal for a board of education to pass a deficit budget and yet the Legislature can cut our per pupil funding even more than anticipated 3 months into the new fiscal year and 3 weeks after school started forcing us back into a deficit situation? In my opinion, school districts are doing their part, our unions are doing their part, and if we truly want fiscal responsibility then it is time to hold the State Legislature accountable perhaps getting creative and changing the way we fund public schools. For every parent, every educator, every person who believes in a quality public education for EVERY child, then you need to step up and act now and hold your state leaders accountable.
David Jesse
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 1:24 p.m.
You can also go here: http://mdoe.state.mi.us/statusreports/ to see the payments from the state that have actually been made. Just click on the Washtenaw County link and you'll get a PDF with it all listed.
tredd
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 1:22 p.m.
Anyone who wants to see just how much each of the districts is getting per pupil can check it out at http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080723/SPECIAL01/80723001. When you look at Ann Arbor you will see us roughly $2,000 more than the majority of other districts in the county. We come in at $9,723 projected for 2009, the next closest are Ypsi and Dexter at $7,9xx and another 12 or so at $7,500ish and lower.
Otto Mobeal
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 12:50 p.m.
In the spirit of school funding equalization, they should start taking the money from the schools districts that get more than than the average amount. Most districts get about $7500 per kid, while others about $10,000 per kid. They should start with those district FIRST and leave the underfunded districts ALONE.
ArborGuide
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 12:47 p.m.
I think we need to replace the whole lot of "representatives". At this point, who are they representing? I understand that there are difficult decisions to make, and revenue is don significantly, but I think that leveraging the future of our students is stupid and short-sighted!
Oldnormal
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 12:47 p.m.
This is pretty disastrous news if it comes to pass. What will be on the chopping block, athletics, music, art? While the House and Senate cut education they are still up to their own style of hypocrisy - removing themselves from the public employee health care bill!
josber
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 12:20 p.m.
So they are stuck with these cuts. Pretty bad, and they must do what is in the best interest of the children first. Seriously. There's no guarantee that the millage will pass, and there's no guarantee next year just isn't as horrendous. The school board is going to have to be very brave and strong. There's no way around this but through it.
tredd
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 12:13 p.m.
It is all about making hard choices. Presumably the majority of Washtenaw county voters are happy with this kind of thinking and actions since our elected officials are multi-term incumbents. People, if you want change, change you can believe in, then you need to vote differently the next time around. I count 4 new taxes proposed for the coming year - mental health tax, AATA tax, city income tax, and school tax. In the 10 years I have lived in AA I've only seen one tax voted down (to build the county jail expansion) and that was quickly ignored as the building went on as planned as they found the money elsewhere. How many other "elsewhere's" are lurking out there in someone's special interest group?
David Jesse
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 12:07 p.m.
yes. that's what I meant. thanks for catching the typo. I changed it.
Ric the Ruler
Thu, Sep 24, 2009 : 12:04 p.m.
"they're considering cutting $218 in pre-pupil funding" I believe you mean per-pupil.