Ypsilanti school board finalizing deficit elimination plan with no cuts to transportation, athletics
The Ypsilanti Public Schools Board of Education is inching closer to finishing its state-mandated deficit elimination plan.
The latest draft of the plan was discussed at a committee meeting Monday night and aims to cut an anticipated $26 million over the next five years. It includes reducing the ranks by five teachers over the next four years, eliminating student monitor positions, contracting with private companies for custodial services and food service, and district-wide concessions of about $9.8 million in 2013.
Other measures in the latest draft include $420,000 in savings from not having custodial health care, eliminating student service coordinators and getting health care concessions from central office staff. The plan also calls for fully funding the athletic subsidy and transportation costs from the district’s general fund — two areas the board previously considered cutting from the general fund.
All of those measures should allow for a fund balance of $1 on June 30, 2015, said David Houle, chief financial officer for the district.
“We have to go through a process to show the Michigan Department of Education that we are diligently working and understand the fact, as a board, that we appreciate the fact that serious initiatives are put in place,” he said.
Ypsilanti school board members discussed cutting funding to athletics like the high school basketball team, but ultimately agreed to keep sports fully funded.
File: Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
Trustee Andy Fanta asked Superintendent Dedrick Martin to check into getting another extension on the deadline for the plan. The district has to submit its plan to the state by Jan. 25 after getting a six-week extension from the original Dec. 15 deadline. Martin said another extension wasn’t likely, but he would check Tuesday morning.
At the Jan. 10 meeting, board members discussed eliminating funding for athletics and transportation from the general fund. Board members also talked about repurposing Ypsilanti Middle School and moving the seventh and eighth grades to Ypsilanti High School — a plan the board didn't appear inclined to support.
Board members who attended Monday’s meeting said eliminating athletics funding and transportation funding wasn't possible because students would likely leave the district.
Fanta said the decision to retain funding for transportation and athletics would leave Ypsilanti as a full-service district and help give it some identity.
“This is not something new to the school district but, in light of this, maybe this is something we can discuss,” he said. “What kind of offering do we want for our students? I’m a supporter of band and performing arts — is art something we wish to be known for as a district?”
The draft of the plan assumes enrollment will stabilize at the current level of 3,657 students. Enrollment is key to funding since each district receives a per pupil allotment from the state.
Houle had originally projected a decrease in enrollment, but board members asked him to replace that assumption with stabilized enrollment. He said the plan would still be in good shape for next school year, but any drop in enrollment after that could be devastating.
Board members said the district would have to get out in the community to make sure parents keep their children in Ypsilanti schools.
“The best thing that can help us is getting more kids in and keeping every kid that’s here, here,” Martin said.
Board president David Bates said part of that work includes keeping athletics and transportation, showing the district is committed to providing vital services.
“We couldn’t think we’re going to keep all of our students without providing some of the things some of our kids, quite frankly, come here for,” he said.
Ypsilanti Education Association President Kelly Powers took issue with a portion of Houle’s presentation that showed central office personnel and principals would take greater cuts in salary and benefits than teachers. She called it an an unfair comparison and said the district should compare its teachers, central office staff and principals against those in other county districts.
She said the union would continue to work with administrators, but was concerned about the plan to privatize custodial and food services.
“I think we’re taking some of that internal public and hurting them,” she said. “If you hurt one of us, you hurt us all. We’ve been on the streets and sold it, we have to believe in it.”
Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com.
Comments
BBraveYHS
Thu, Jan 20, 2011 : 3:03 a.m.
Kelly Powers needs to get real???? Kelly Powers and the teachers in the Ypsilanti district have made significant concessions. It is hard for me to understand why people do not believe that the teachers teaching our children do not have the right to fair wages. I give Kelly and the YEA a lot of credit for stepping up and helping to address the budget crisis with bargaining choices that negatively impacted their own pocketbooks. In my opinion, the teachers are not to blame for the poor decisions of the school board and administration. The problems in Ypsi will not be solved by blaming and bashing the teachers.
L'chaim
Fri, Jan 21, 2011 : 2:44 p.m.
I agree. It's also sad to see that some of the bashing comes from drivers and custodians (I was a driver for AAPS for the last 5 years before consolidation) who are spiteful when they get hurt. The way we (blue-collars) are treated by school administrators is bad, but its the same for the teachers, they just happen to be at higher levels of pay and benefits than we ever are. Some workers can't help their frustration getting the better of them, and lashing out against their coworkers, the teachers. More power to teachers, and more solidarity to all workers.
sad day
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 3:01 p.m.
Cutting custodians benefits? Isn't that like singling out one group of employees over the others. Shouldn't the union file a ULP (unfair labor practice) If benefits are cut from one group they should be cut for all. What makes this district think their benefits are more important? The administration staff exceed the pupil ratio of any other district in the Washtenaw county area. Lets talk about food service....this service is already a contracted through Chartwells. Their bid every year includes wages and benefits. sounds like the Ypsilanti district are not satisfied with the profit kick back they are already receiving. If the truth be known, these workers are all qualified to run the food service department without Chartwell's and the profits would all go to the district. The same could be done with custodial and maintenance eliminating the supervisor's wages and benefits. Given the chance input from the support staff could be beneficial, in cost cutting measures. What about the money this district pays for one person to take photo's and do press releases, and her secretary......These few suggestions would save this district about 500,000.00 per year. Yes indeed the district of Ypsilanti are on the right track all right... GIVE ME A BREAK
proudparent
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 12:52 a.m.
Why does the Ypsi school board have say in what happens to transportation anyway? I thought thats why WISD stepped in and took over because they couldnt afford it anymore? Can someone tell me (anyone but jns131) ?
jns131
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 4:22 p.m.
Joe? If you read the September articles about parents screaming where's my bus is the main reason Trinity came into this equation. Ypsilanti spends $180,000 a year on Trinity. I do agree, time to remove WISD from the equation and let Trinity do it all. From what I hear? Parents are getting what they want. Their child to school on time. I am seriously considering driving for them. Better attitude and you don't have to worry about being laid off anytime soon.
joe golder
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 2:44 p.m.
I drove a bus for yps for 6.5 years. I was a union steward for transportation and served as president of the YSSA. Giving up transportation to WISD and letting trinaty take over took away the districts right to hire, pick up points, and the over all oversight of transportation. The saying ..you get what you pay for.. will ring true here in the next few years.
L'chaim
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 5:02 a.m.
Transportation, while performed by the WISD, is still a service that the district pays for and offers to residents. Ypsi, or any district, could decide to stop paying for it, and eliminate it, in which case they'd cancel their contract with the WISD. Ypsi pays both the WISD and Trinity Inc. to cover their bus runs.
bs
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 11:57 p.m.
Why not combine all of the Districts in the WISD catchment area? So often there is talk of combining Ypsi/Lincoln/WR , why leave out the others...? Folks, Snyder and rest of the "cut cost" crowd are headed down the wrong path...
pseudo
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 9:23 p.m.
First: really? no cuts to sports? and that helps academics how? Second: I agree that it might be time to really assess combining Lincoln, Willow Run and Ypsi schools. Reduce the non-academic costs per pupil signifiantly and dear ol' Andy wouldn't have to be afraid of loosing those athletes either.
braggslaw
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 7:21 p.m.
Why don't they just combine Willow Run, Lincoln and Ypsi? Why have three separate administrative units?
jns131
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 4:17 p.m.
They have thought about this for years and years. I think for the past 10 years they have considered joining Willow Run and Ypsi for so long that the idea has long become comical. Will they? Wont' they? The world will never know. Willow Run is on the verge of collapse and Ypsilanti is not far behind it. I do agree WR and Ypsi needs to merge. As for Lincoln? It wouldn't work because they are too far from the main general area to be an effective feeder school for WR and Ypsi. I do see WR and Ypsi combining but not anytime soon.
joe golder
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 10:05 p.m.
Its all about control. Time to take politics out of the equation. Why don't we integrate city and townships at the same time. It makes good sense to me. Everything needs to be looked at in order to maintain good services for all.
joe golder
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 4:55 p.m.
All for one and one for all. Everyone is as important here when it comes to quality education. I hope by now everyone see's outsourcing doesn't work. just look at whats happened to jobs in the US period. Outing custodians and food service will lead to a decline in cleanliness and moral. When everyone feels they are on the team winning is closer at hand. It won't be long before its transportation and sports anyway. Question... How much money does the district spend overall on sports? It will not be long before all districts drop sports. Parents thinking that changing schools will give their kids a chance to play in sports will be taking a gamble they will make a team. Good education and a college degree should be the mission of all districts. Provide policies that give a safe, clean environment for students and staff and they will come. The school of choice thing never made any sense to me. It only created an opportunity for all school districts to steal much needed students from each other. I hope the past decade has showed school of choice and over the top bonds don't work. Maybe athletics should be funded by the community and fund raising. The transportation can be supplemented by the district. How much does it cost to keep a building open at night? Heat and electric cost sure need to be taken into consideration along with wear and tear on the building. Cutting back on security and custodians will lead to wear and tear. The we need a bond to fix things again will come around in ten years. Its time education is run like a business. Thank you board members for your hard work and time. More can be done. Keep working on this.
L'chaim
Fri, Jan 21, 2011 : 3:58 p.m.
One of the major problems with public education IS that it is being run "like a business." "All for one and one for all" is a principal that corporate practices --and free-market economies-- cannot live up to. Public education should be run as a local, cooperative process under the democratic control of students and parents, teachers and other health professionals, and support service workers. It should also be more progressively funded by taxing the rich.
jns131
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 4:12 p.m.
Kelly Powers really needs to get real and get with it when it comes to cost cutting measures among its teachers and administrators. It is their salaries that is killing the cost to the classroom because there is not much money to go around because the teachers do not want to give up their pay scales. It is happening in Ohio as we speak. There is one school district that has cut to the bone and the teachers are still screaming they do not want cuts to their pay scale. Sorry teachers and admin, but to save the jobs of the custodians and transportation? It is going to happen. No matter what. The new governor is already looking at cutting costs among the teachers and admin as it is. It was a narrow margin in Ann Arbor when parents screamed about privatizing their custodians and it did not happen. But they turned around and eliminated transportation just to keep the custodians in their jobs with a huge pay cut and benefits. If you want to continue to keep children learning? Something has to give. Sadly, in the end transportation was the first to go with a union bust and now sadly, I see another union bust in custodians. I also see unions being busted by our governor as well. Or with his management style? Cutting everything to the bone. I really hate to say it, but if the teachers and admin do not give in? Their transportation department and custodians will be privatized. Then the board has nothing left but to privatize the teachers and admin. Unions were good once, but the way they are protecting the teachers and admin? Not so good anymore. Good luck custodians. It is a tough spot to be in.
L'chaim
Fri, Jan 21, 2011 : 2:50 p.m.
@ Jill (jns131) -- you're really making an anti-union argument. Why do you persist in attacking teachers and refuse to acknowledge that a) teachers are allies for support services workers (basically just higher-paid workers); and b) the real problem is the gross restriction on educational funding from state and federal governments that creates the feeding frenzy in local districts? Instead of jumping into the frenzy, why don't you fight for a real solution?
L'chaim
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 2:52 p.m.
In the event that that Board finds it 'necessary' to privatize: if they care about food service and custodial workers, the administration can put union recognition into the RFP per the board. This wold require the bidding companies to recognize the union once they win the contract with the district. That way the Board shows it's not interested in union busting and workers don't have to waste time with organizing a consent election. The consolidated districts have already shown that they are interested in union busting (Ann Arbor, Ypsi and Willow Run) becasue they sold workers off to the WISD without such a recognition provision (despite lip service to workers' rights to organize 'if they want to' once they've been stripped of all protections). Let's see if Ypsi's Board has learned the lesson of why it should support workers rights instead of greasing the palms of uber-administrators. :)