Ypsilanti school board approves plan that will eliminate 40 teaching positions over 4 years
Before a crowd of more than 200 teachers, support staff, administrators and parents, the Ypsilanti school board voted tonight to adopt a deficit elimination plan that will cut more than 40 teachers over the next four years.
That plan will be sent to the state Tuesday, just meeting the deadline for filing it. The district's new chief financial officer said the deficit was the culmination of years of overspending to the tune of $9.2 million since 2005.
“For the last five years, we have lost millions of dollars,” David Houle told the board. “We have spent more money than we brought in.”
The shortfall was slightly offset by a $2.5 million sale of a building, leaving the district $6.8 million in the red on a $53.2 million budget for this school year.
The plan, which is mandated by the state, calls for the district to gradually shed positions and make other changes over the course of the next four years. Board members passed it 5-2, with Andy Fanta and Kira Berman voting no.
If the plan is followed and its projections of student enrollment and state funding are accurate, the district will be out of the red in 2014, Houle said.
The district's overspending was:
- $780,000 in 2005.
- $1.5 million in 2006.
- $1.5 million in 2007.
- $2.6 million in 2008.
- $2.8 million in 2009.
The district, without making any changes, is on track to be short $3.3 million in 2010.
To make up the shortfalls, the plan calls for the district to eliminate 42 teaching positions, 19 support positions and 1 community service position.
That didn’t sit well with the majority of people in attendance, who complained about the cuts and about the process.
Ypsilanti Superintendent Dedrick Martin
“I’m amazed that (Superintendent Dedrick Martin) said we were involved in this plan,” said teachers union President Kelly Powers. “That’s a blatant lie.”
She went on to lambaste the board for its weak oversight of the budget and wondered why board members weren't cutting administration.
“Does your plan include cutting the administration that has helped create (this problem)? Of course not," she said. "You hire a superintendent at top dollar, you send a message. This is an absolute punch on the nose to your ground-level employees.”
She said the teachers union is willing to negotiate, but not until a better process for coming up with cuts is devised.
Board members said they didn’t have much choice in preparing the plan, citing the recent hires of Martin and Houle as a factor in the short-time frame.
They also said the state gave them little choice but to adopt the plan, then go back and work on changing it over time. If the board didn’t have the plan in by Tuesday, it could face sanctions up to the loss of its state aid.
“We’re faced with a task we don’t want to do,” said Trustee Floyd Brumfield. “Something has to be done, and we’re going to have to do it. Like it or not.”
Fanta argued the district should ask for an extension from the state.
“I think it’s time to play hardball. What concerns me most about the plan is the process that went into (it)," he said. "We say we’re a community, but when the crunch comes, we’re presented with a fait accompli. Once you adopt a plan, it’s a plan. I’m not sure we’re going to (go back and be creative and work on the plan).”
Several other districts across the area are also facing tight budgets. Willow Run has also been operating under a deficit elimination plan for several years.
David Jesse covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com He can be reached at davidjesse@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2534.
Comments
L'chaim
Fri, Feb 5, 2010 : 10:33 p.m.
Ypsilivin, You don't seem to realize that the public sector has suffered the same kinds of drops that the private sector has, to varying degrees in various areas (particularly low skill and blue collar areas). You're echoing the "it's your turn, you lazy, overpaid louts" refrain that is so popular, but baseless. Workers (blue collar of "professional" (like teachers)) who defend minimum wage floors and benefits packages aren't trying to grow fat at the taxpayers expense. we're trying to protect hard won gains that benefit the economy by providing good jobs and healthy disposable incomes and better workers who feel more committed to our jobs. There are those who say that government institutions like schools aren't made to "provide" jobs. But they are. Everything, in fact, is made to provide jobs. Everything. factories. offices. schools. The market economy is based on jobs as the means of making every commodity, including human knowledge base and skills required for entering the labor market. If you're trying to say that private sector workers should begrudge public sector workers who fight the downward push corporations put on wages, that's shooting yourself in the foot. And I think Ford workers who stopped their union (UAW) and the Ford owners from taking more concessions would probably agree with me. The time to fight wage decreases is now, even in public schools. You, and all of us, should demand a massive funding increase to all schools and serious reform of the way schools are funded and run, not fight each other in the race to the bottom.
Michael-David
Fri, Dec 18, 2009 : 12:21 p.m.
When I was the negotiator for the Ypsilanti Federation of Teachers (Adult Education), the Schools were unable to give us a copy of their budget for our negotiations as required by our contract. The reason turned out to be that they did not actually have a budget. It appears that the Ypsilanti Schools still don't have a real budget. Since the Schools gave up their goal of "capital maintenance," they have had no plan to maintain/replace buildings, capital equipment (computer labs, etc.) and have handled everything on a crisis basis for at least the last 20 years. Our taxes for operating the schools are close to the same amount as our taxes for paying the bonds that were spent long ago. I'd like to see the administrators actually plan for a sustainable school district instead of crisis management.
YpsiLivin
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 10:12 p.m.
Lisa, You may want to sit down because this may come as a surprise to you, but this has been happening in the private sector for years. School district employees have been sheltered from what the rest of us have been experiencing. Welcome to reality.
Lisa Starrfield
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 9:44 p.m.
I want you to consider this. For years, management for firms across the country have been laying off folks and replacing them with cheaper labor, only to replace them if they get to dear. They are replaced with someone younger, someone too old to find a job elsewhere, someone here illegally or someone out of the country altogether. Every time a worker, professional or otherwise, is replaced with someone cheaper compensation for those around him or her will fall. Cut the school bus driver's wages, cut the lunch ladies wages, cut the janitor's wages, cut the teacher's wages and it will have an impact on other jobs in the community sooner or later. Even worse, that will cut spending in the community as well steamrolling this effect. In five years time, in ten years time, when teacher's wages still have not recovered and our benefits are still shattered, remember this day because it will be the day that the writing was on the wall for your own salaries. You think you are struggling now, just wait.
bgrant
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 6:09 p.m.
Teachers gave up 2% last night in Portage MI. to prevent a deficit. Way to go Portage, you are putting children first!
A2CarGuy
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 4:38 p.m.
I'm surprised first by the quote by Ms. Powers and now by comments here that the teacher's union is willing to negotiate. They haven't been willing to negotiate. It is the position of all Washtenaw teacher's unions (with the possible exception of Ann Arbor) that they will NOT negotiate. Just how fired do those low-seniority teachers need to be before the union leadership will step up and represent their entire membership?
Good2catchu
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 3:35 p.m.
what has happened to Willow Run now David Houle has jumped ship to Ypsilanti. Only last Febuary he was responsible for their financials.Read his comments here. http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/02/budget_deficit_targeted_at_wil.html
recovering bureacrat
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 3:17 p.m.
I also attended the board meeting last night as the spouse of one of the support team members. I was disappointed (appalled really), that the board offered the membership an opportunity to speak last night knowing that it was already a "done deal", with a budgetary deadline looming at midnight. I was disgusted with the arrogance of the board, Superintendant Martin kept his hand over his mouth most of the meeting although I could see the laugh light in his eyes and even a snicker one time came thru. Another member professed that her campaign was based on anti privitization, but she has recently become aware that her primary duty is submit a balanced budget (even tho it's carried on the backs of the blue collars),how many other budgets are being submitted with as close to budget as possible without meeting it, it's happening all over the State. Another B.M. wanted us to convene in Lansing to rally, excuse me.....are you looking for a higher position of authority, can you say LOBBIEST, your priorties last night were in OUR school district. The president informed us that he has been the lone "chicken little" for the last five years, even tho he voted in favor of what he now takes pride in proclaiming he was right about, the eventual outcome of regulary exceeding income, he even went so far as to imply that he could understand why another B.M. was critical of the boards activities because of a previous administration that he had worked with, how unprofessional is that, those of us in the gallery didn't offer any criticizm of current or former admin's. and we we're probably entitled to do so. Another B.M. stated that we should balk at complying with the states mandate, BUT the CFO didn't know if an extension was available, presumably because as he admitted he was unwilling to take the chance of being late with his report because the district might be cut the district off from future funding, and oh yes, due to an ENTRY ERROR, the report doesn't include an additional 300K in the red. So the cuts are based on the deficit, how many more cuts are required to fund the additional 300K. A carrot was proffered, the board will ALLOW two public forums starting in January. Where were the TRUSTEE's (???) months ago when the issues were apparent and there was ample time to conduct open meetings for public input and to better inform themselves of what options might be available to them. All of the board members (spoke down to us) eloquently and with authority, I'm sure all of them are qualified to conduct their business in a much more timely and professional manner, but as the old saying goes, "who's watching the hen house". I'm very discouraged. Lansing.....send us a Robert Bobb
recovering bureacrat
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 2:41 p.m.
I also attended the board meeting last night as the spouse of one of the support team members. I was disappointed (appalled really), that the board offered the membership an opportunity to speak last night knowing that it was already a "done deal", with a deadline looming at midnight. I was disgusted with the arrogance of the board, Superintendant Martin kept his hand over his mouth most of the meeting although I could see the laugh lights in his eye and even a snicker one time come thru, another member professed that her campaign was based on anti privitization but she has recently become aware that her primary duty is submit a balanced budget (even tho it's carried on the backs of the blue collars), another wanted us to convene in Lansing to rally, excuse me.....are you looking for a higher position of authority, can you say lobbiest, your priorties last night were in the school district. The president informed us that he has been the "chicken little" for the last five years, even tho he voted in favor of what he now takes pride in proclaiming that he was right, another (crowd pleaser) stated that we should balk at complying with the states mandate and the cfo didn't know if an extension was available but he was unwilling to take the chance of being late because the district might be cut off from funding, and oh yes, the board will allow two public forums after the fact, where were the TRUSTEE's a month ago when the issues were apparent and there was ample time to conduct an open meeting for input and to better inform themselves of what options might be open. Oh yes did I mention that the cfo report going to Lansing includes a 300K deficit that was dropped due to an "entry error". The BOARD assures us that they are receptive to making positive improvements to the final budgetary outcome, but first of all we have to let Lansing know that oh yeah, we forgot to disclose 300K that is in the red. All of the board members spoke eloquently and with authority last night, all I'm sure are qualified to conduct their business in a much more timely and professional manner, but as the old saying goes, "who's watching the hen house". I'm very discouraged, where's Robert Bobb, we need you. Lansing.....send us help.
bgrant
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 12:43 p.m.
Teacher retirement incentives do not work. The district has tried this approach in the past with little long term benefit. Usually the teachers who plan to retire anyway are given a bonus to do so. This so called savings is quickly eaten up by the rapidly rising annual teacher raises. The district should strive to save the newer more energetic teachers who posess more current training in proven teaching techniques. By negotiating pay cuts for only those who are at the top of the teacher's schedule, perhaps those less enthusiastic teachers will retire, thus costing the district nothing, and in fact saving funds.
dading dont delete me bro
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 12:08 p.m.
what was spent on that wonderful name change? the meetings, the poll, the crap that someone's feelings were hurt? yes, it's nickels and dimes, but they add up too. -dading!
ypsilistener
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 11:58 a.m.
http://ypsiciti.com/section/Education/Ypsilanti+Schools+eye+40+teacher+layoffs+in+four+years-article-1473.html "Toward the end of the meeting, after the plan was approved by the board, Powers agreed teachers will have to be laid off to balance the budget, but suggested a retirement incentive program to allow the most tenured and higher paid teachers to leave the district. Martin said he would work on the idea with Powers." I wonder how many members of the teachers' union were there to hear their president agree that teacher layoffs were needed! Did this statement match the earlier tone? I doubt it, but by then, the audience had pretty much left. Thanks, YpsiCitizen, for the rest of the story.
bgrant
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 11:35 a.m.
This repeat of my previous posting also applies here. Those who have been around for a while will remember the chain of events which lead to this horrible mess. The current and long time teachers union president (Kelly Power) began a movement in the 90's to elect board members who would go along with the wishes of the union. This allowed the union leadership to amass raises from the Board, when administration tried to explain that funds were not sufficient to pay the kind of salaries and benefits they demanded. At one point in history, Dr. David Zulke was expelled from the negotiation process and Board members met with the YEA in closed session to settle the salary demands of the teachers union officials. Is it any wonder that the district is in this financial chaos? The district's deficit spending over the past 5 years is a testament to the close alignment between the Board and the teacher's union. I also agree with YPSLISTENER!
melissa t
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 11:07 a.m.
I was at the meeting last night and was absolutly sickened at what i heard. Cut support staff, cut teachers, privitize? We need to save money and we all understand that. Teachers and support staff are willing to negotiate but the district is not willing to play by the rules. privitation is a dangerous thing, school support staff are federally finger printed and backround checked. School bus drivers are properly trained, certified in pupil transportation, and safety. We know your childrens names, likes, dislikes, strengths and shortfalls. Can you imagine strangers driving your children to school and working in your buildings, or not having bus aids for small children and disababled students. Support staff have meaningful relationships with the students and look at them as positive figures in their lives. Do you really think that an outside company is going to have ypsilanti's childrens best intrest at heart? I saw you get what you pay for and when our childrns safety is at stake can we really afford to take the lowest bid? I was shocked to hear a board member say last night " sometimes you have to sacrifise a finger to save a hand" My thought on that is with the loss of any limb, there is a chance you could hit an artery and bleed to death. That is what is going to happen here. Reducing support staff will impact education. Parents are not willing to send their kids to school with strangers, students counts will continue to go down. Maybe we should ask ypsi administration why we employ retirees of the district who are already receiving a pention from the state. This accounts for hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and i don't think anyone is sure what their jobs really are. Why are we cutting from the bottom? Why wont administration take more than a 3 percent pay cut?
Good2catchu
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 10:03 a.m.
It does seem over the years the board has turned a blind eye to the problems, now they bring in the cavalry who may or may not be up to the job. It has to be asked why Dedrick Martin and David Houle were chosen and sadly there financial incentives must pay a huge part in their decision to take the posts. Will they fall on their swords, time will tell. Do we get to see the Deficit elimination plan along with other dreams and proposals, in the pipeline like the new STEM High School that Richard Wiegel is so keen to promote for his PhD? Or not, why Richard was turned down for Superintendant is there more secret plans There are so many questions unanswered such as larger class sizes, reduced curriculum options, natural wastage, is Dedrick going to be around in 4 years with his PhD? We are all concerned for our youth to get the best education and more importantly a job they will be happy to work in for the next possible 50 years. Or do we allow them all to work for corporations such as Mc Donalds and the like as mindless robots so the capitalists are ensured their huge slice of the pie and the masses kept in their places, the land of the free and opportunity is slowly imploding. Oh nice smile on the picture od Dedrick is he really happy.
A2CarGuy
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 9:32 a.m.
So the position of the teacher's union is that they will negotiate, but only if the district violates state law and rescinds the cuts that were forced on the district by the union's unwillingness to negotiate. Meanwhile, confuse the issue by complaining loudly about the Superintendent's salary (which couldn't realistically be lowered enough to save even one teacher) and other undefined savings that are out there but they just aren't going to tell us yet. Argue about nickel-and-dime stuff to direct attention away from the fact that it was the union leadership's greed that forced these cuts. If Kelly Powers was willing to negotiate and make reasonable concessions, then those teachers could be saved. Concessions on teacher salaries are the ONLY thing that will save enough money. Cut administrators, even close another building, it won't do it in the long term. Before she is allowed any more public outrage, the low-seniority teachers in Ypsilanti should demand that Ms. Powers show - on a whiteboard in front of everyone - how else the district can balance the budget and comply with the law.
ypsilistener
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 9:28 a.m.
One thing that is frustrating about these articles is that the data is taken out of context. For one thing, we see here how much the district "overspent" in the past several years. What we don't see is how much was cut during each of those years, which leads the readers to believe that there was no action taken. Not true. Because Ypsi has finally run out of its "rainy day" money, everyone is now aware of the pattern of deficit spending. But as long as there was still money in the bank, the community--not just the board, not just the administration--was not willing to accept deeper cuts at that time. And, frankly, making deeper cuts would have impacted those programs that kept the district's enrollment somewhat stable, and then the district would have lost that many more students. Kind of like being between a rock a hard place. It's easy to criticize Ypsi for the deficit spending, but how many of our neighboring districts have also been in deficit spending for a number of years? Ann Arbor and Saline are among them. We don't hear as much about the others because they haven't run out of money yet, but it won't be long till they do. There is a lot wrong here, but I think the focus needs to shift to what we--all of us--can and should do about it, instead of criticizing past decisions that were not as simplistic as some of you think they were.
YpsiLivin
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 8:41 a.m.
Only in Ypsilanti could you take a CFO from one district that is impossibly in debt, put him in another district that's impossibly in debt, give the guy a raise in the process and think you got a good deal. Pair that with an unqualified superintendent (Martin doesn't even have a PhD), grant him "financial incentives" for getting his doctorate, and you might have something. Had I been on the board I might have given Martin the job, but it would have come with a clear warning that if he didn't obtain his PhD within two years, he'd be out on his ear. Sorry, but I wouldn't pay a superintendent candidate incentives for becoming qualified for the job he holds. Let these districts go into receivership. The state could hardly do worse...
marzan
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 2:23 a.m.
The problem with robot teachers is that they steal old people's medicine. You've got to find a way to protect the community. Hopefully they can tweak the budget to save teacher jobs and help avoid this horrible robotic future.
Captain Magnificent
Tue, Dec 15, 2009 : 1:10 a.m.
maybe they could get one of those japanese robots to come in and teach for a lot less than those prima donnas they have now. Maybe it would cost money up front but imagine the long term savings on salary. Plus a robot doesn't need a parking space or coffee- that's even more money to save! You could even program it so that it doesn't turn into a liberal nutjob like most of those east-coast liberal teacher types. I know robots have gotten a bad rap in movies like Short Circuit (1 and 2) and Robocop2 (not 1) but those are just movies- we've got to look at REALITY people. Robots are the future and if we want Michigan to remain competitive in this global marketplace we've got to give our children exposure to cutting edge robotic technology.
glennsha
Mon, Dec 14, 2009 : 11:32 p.m.
I have lived in Ypsilanti for over 15 years, we are a community that sticks together and in hard times comes together as a community, the school board should have spent longer hours finding ways to cut and trim long ago,now as a member of the community and as a member of that community I have friends whos jobs and lively hood are at stake as a result of poor decisions made by the board and current and previous superintendents, now it is time to trim their wallets and fight for what is right for our students and our community.
Tom Bower
Mon, Dec 14, 2009 : 10:58 p.m.
No administrative cuts? Incredible. The district is operating two middle school buildings when its total middle school student population would easily be accommodated in one of the buildings. Savings...two administrative positions from the middle school that is closed. Plus, all the savings from closing one of the buildings. Fanta is correct, the Board should not have caved in to the state's deadline. Deadline be damned, it should have taken the necessary time to work through a process that involved a thorough analysis of all the options and allowed for community/staff input. The Michigan Department of Education has bigger problems than the Ypsilanti Public Schools and an extension could probably have been obtained.