Ypsilanti schools budget includes reduced health care for all staff
The Ypsilanti Board of Education unanimously passed the district’s 2011-12 budget, reducing health care for all staff and changing some long-standing district transportation policies.
The school board also approved borrowing $14 million from the State Aid Program in order to have adequate funds to get through the school year. That amount is less than the amount borrowed to finance the 2010-11 school year.
Superintendent Dedrick Martin said balancing the coming school year’s $49 million budget was another step toward fixing the district’s structural deficit problem. He said the cuts in state funding for public education were not doing Ypsilanti schools any favors.
YPS budget process
Stories from the Ypsilanti schools budget process
“At a time when expectations for student performance is increasing, and rightfully so, and we’re expecting to demand more from our schools, we’re also stripping valuable resources,” Martin said, adding that the district has been forced to cut about $9 million from its budget in the two years he’s been superintendent.
The state budget, passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder last week, calls for a new $300 per pupil cut along with a $170 per pupil cut passed under Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Retirement costs are also expected to go up by approximately $253 per pupil, but the state is providing districts with an average of $100 per pupil to help with retirement costs.
Among the cuts in the 2011-12 Ypsilanti schools budget are:
- A cap on health care service for all staff, which will save $1.7 million
- Reductions in transportation services, which will save $250,000
- The elimination of academic coordinator positions, which will save $326,131
- Reductions in instructional staff positions, which will save $320,000
To view a PDF file of the budgets approved Monday, click here.
![010911_dedrick-martin2.jpg](http://www.annarbor.com/assets_c/2011/01/010911_dedrick-martin2-thumb-150x208-66248.jpg)
Superintendent Dedrick Martin
The transportation changes will see in-district Schools of Choice students no longer transported from home to school, according to chief financial officer David Houle. Students will now be required to make their way to the nearest school building before being transported to their school.
District officials are counting on receiving funding for adhering to “best practices” set out by Snyder, which would result in a $100 per pupil one-time payment. Martin said the best practices are “very vague” at this point but they are targets the district must hit.
“We’re guarded about if we’re going to be able to meet them, however we really realize that financially we have to figure out how to meet those,” Martin said.
The budget also takes into account a number of savings from a new contract agreed to with the Ypsilanti Support Services Association. The new contract saved the school district $873,475 for the 2011-12 school year.
The news that the district was going to borrow less money from the state than it did the year before gave board president David Bates a positive outlook on the budget.
![David Bates.JPG](http://www.annarbor.com/assets_c/2011/05/DSCF4472-thumb-150x134-77474.jpg)
School board president David Bates
The district borrowed approximately $16 million from the state in 2010-11, district officials said.
“It strikes me to clarify that we have made some progress,” Bates said.
The biggest concern for trustee Andy Fanta is the number of students who will be enrolled in the district during the 2011-12 school year. That number goes a long way to determine funding for the district.
One of the assumptions built into the district’s 2011-12 budget is that 20 additional students will come into the Ypsilanti school district. Fanta said the district is on the right track but has some tough decisions to make ahead.
“We want this district to remain solvent and to be solvent and we want to make our mandate that the state has imposed upon us,” he said.
Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
sig.melvin
Sun, Jul 3, 2011 : 8:23 p.m.
When I balance my budget ..it is balanced ....not with a loan (lotteryticket) in the future.. just some more ...
Moonmaiden
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 2:29 p.m.
Why does AA.Com keep mentioning the concessions that the Ypsilanti Support Services Association have made (to the tune of $873,475)? Shouldn't you also me telling us how much the principals, teachers and contracted employees have given up? Why do we only hear about the union made up of the lowest wage earners? Is it possible the other unions haven't stepped up? I'm hoping this is bad reporting, but I fear it is a case of those who have are not willing to give any back. Either way, shame, shame, shame . . .
xmo
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 1:07 p.m.
We don't have the money! Why is everybody whining about budget cuts! Schools have to learn to be more Frugal and produce better results. The private sector has done that repeatedly, they call it increasing productivity! Teachers meanwhile, do not have a yardstick to measure their productivity (partly due to Unions). I wish that the teachers could develop a standard by which they were measured so that the good ones could earn "pro-sports" money while the rest get along on smaller wages! So teachers, you are smart, come up with a standard or use the existing test scores and be paid on the results of your students! Put up or shut up! Mr. clownfish: What happens when Public schools fail? While reading the linked article it reminded me of the Detroit Public School System, Thats why they started the Charter Schools to back up the failing public schools.
jjc155
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 8:50 p.m.
@alarictoo, yeah I understand that, at least they are doing something, instead of letting it festure
alarictoo
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 7:25 p.m.
@jjc155 - The reason that they are only doing #2 (decreasing spending) is that, with the current legislation the state has in place, they cannot increase revenue without a bond/millage. And, we all know the current feelings about additional taxes, so...
jjc155
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 1:20 p.m.
what XMO said is on the right track. BTW I find it hilarious that your avatar is Bill Mahr and yet you hold financially conservative views, LOL (not a dig at all). Like I have said here on AA.com many times, the only ways to reduce a budget deficit (whether in your household budget, the federal budget or YPS budget)is to 1) Increase revenue and/or 2) Decrease spending, and YPS looks like they are atleast trying to reduce spending. That is one of the most simple econ practices to understand.
stunhsif
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 12:44 p.m.
"The school board also approved borrowing $14 million from the State Aid Program in order to have adequate funds to get through the school year. " Borrowing ? This money will never ever get paid back and you call that borrowing ? Benefits/healthcare is still "gold plated" compared to what the average private sector receives.
clownfish
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 12:19 p.m.
Well, once again public employees have stepped up and made sacrifice. Now, where are all the fiscal conservatives and their sacrifices? How about the "private is better" argument? <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/06/27/137444337/what-happens-when-charter-schools-fail" rel='nofollow'>http://www.npr.org/2011/06/27/137444337/what-happens-when-charter-schools-fail</a>
YpsiLivin
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 12:17 p.m.
"Superintendent Dedrick Martin said balancing the coming school year's $49 million budget was another step toward fixing the district's structural deficit problem." So borrowing money is now a way to balance the budget AND address a structural deficit? Who knew?
Moonmaiden
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 11:57 a.m.
Andy, for once, is on the right track. Projecting an increase in students is the same way Willow Run got into deeper trouble. Say, who was their financial guru then? Is the district oblivious to the new charter school in their southeast corner? This will result in an INCREASE in students? Sad.
Carl Ebach
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 11:28 a.m.
It is all about quantity and not quality the more students in the building the more money they get. Pach as many students as you can into a classroom. The conservative are out to destroy public education. They want more quality but will only payless for it while upping meaningless standards.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Tue, Jun 28, 2011 : 2:46 p.m.
AnnArbor.com, can you just save the moonbats some time by programming your commenting system to just go ahead and automatically post the lies about conservatives wanting to destroy education, hating the middle class, helping their corporate buddies, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah?