Ann Arbor residents have 'concerns' about number of school district buildings, survey shows
The majority of Ann Arbor school district residents and staff members who filled out a budget survey had “concerns with the number of buildings in the district,” administrators said Wednesday night.
Those results were among the findings from two sets of surveys administered by the district in December and January. Those included an online survey with open-ended questions and a survey handed out to those who attended the budget sessions held in January.
Liz Margolis, the district’s communications director, said nearly 900 surveys were filled out in total. She stressed to the board the results are unscientific, and people could have filled out more than one survey. Not every person answered every question on the survey.
In total, 445 of the 519 people who filled out surveys at the budget sessions either supported the options for budget cuts outlined by Superintendent Todd Roberts or somewhat supported them.
Those budget cuts are part of the district’s attempts to trim between $14.7 million and $19.67 million - depending on revenue action by the state - from the budget in the next two years.
District administrators outlined several other findings from the survey. They pledged to post those findings and every comment left on the survey to the district’s Web site on Friday morning.
The Ann Arbor school district is reviewing how each of its buildings, including Scarlett Middle School, is used.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
Possible building closures have been discussed as one option for saving money since the district's buildings operate at a combined capacity level of about 87.8 percent, figures show.
Roberts said last month the district can cover its deficit this year and next without closing an elementary school. But he also said reviewing how each school-owned building is currently being used will be explored by a task force being formed this spring.
Among other survey findings, a majority of respondents supported pay-to-play for athletics. A majority said they also would support participation fees for other extra-curricular activities.
Forty percent of those who responded to transportation suggested the district use the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to transport students, instead of having its own transportation department.
Margolis said the district has already begun discussions with AATA.
Also drawing support from about 30 percent of respondents was opening Ann Arbor up to students from other districts through schools of choice.
Roberts said his formal recommendation on what cuts to make to the 2010-11 budget will come to the board by the end of March.
David Jesse covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com He can be reached at davidjesse@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2534.
Comments
Steve Norton, MIPFS
Fri, Feb 19, 2010 : 11:30 p.m.
@BasicBob - I cannot let this one go. You say: The WISD millage issue was a despicable attempt to circumvent state law and delay addressing the disproportionate spending in AAPS. Wow. Quite an accusation. But it is a deliberate distortion and is absolutely untrue. By state law, the voters of school districts inside an ISD may approve one each of three kinds of regional millages: for special education (which we did), for vocational education (we don't but others do), and for general "enhancement" of operating funds. It was this last which failed in November. While not many regions have this third kind of millage, several do: the Kalamazoo region has had one for several years; Monroe has a small one dedicated to technology, and Midland passed one last May. Not only was the Washtenaw Schools Millage not an attempt to circumvent anything, it was a proactive effort by every single school district in the WISD to head off precisely the kind of budget disasters that every district is now facing. As for AAPS's higher per pupil allowance (which is what I suppose you mean by "disproportionate spending,"), that is simply a consequence of the fact that AAPS voters were willing to pay higher taxes for their schools than many other districts - until our right to do that was taken away by Proposal A in 1994. The gap between high-spending and lower-spending districts has closed dramatically, partly because funds allocated to districts like Ann Arbor have been held down under this system. The real value of the per pupil allowance which AAPS is permitted has declined every year since 1994, after inflation. Cutting the operational budget has been the norm each year for at least a decade. The collapse in state funding simply caps off a long period of slowly bleeding resources from our schools. Please recall the slogans of the millage opponents: "There is no crisis," and "Ann Arbor does not have this crisis." False then, and false now.
AMOC
Fri, Feb 19, 2010 : 7:55 p.m.
@ Beth - AAPS is paying big bucks for a software system called PowerSchool that began to be used last year and more big bucks for a phone and e-mail communication system being implemented right now. Both these systems were purchased because they are supposed to provide much better communication with parents. But again, so much of the benefit which is actually realized will depend on the individual teachers and class administrators for PowerSchool and building principals for the other system. I am deeply disappointed that there is no requirement from the district that teachers and principals will learn how and actually use these valuable tools to improve communications in their school communities. Some schools handle communication very well, others leave the whole issue up to PTO volunteers, some of whom do an excellent job. All volunteers however, eventually have their kids "age out" of any given school. Frequent, consistent, helpful communication with parents should be a job requirement for all teachers and administrators.
Beth
Fri, Feb 19, 2010 : 7:34 p.m.
@MjC, I love your idea of getting involved. My nephew's school district in Virginia has a Facebook page for the district (and maybe one for the school - I'm not sure) where they are able to put up a lot of great information and updates for parents. I would LOVE to see AAPS do something like that!
MjC
Fri, Feb 19, 2010 : 12:39 p.m.
Good point Beth. One of the things that drove me crazy when my kids attended AAPS was the lack of communication. So much depends on the leadership of the school's principal. And most kids are handed school notices only to keep them filed away in their backpacks until summer vacation (lol). I resolved this issue by serving as a volunteer editor on elementary, middle, and high school newsletters/emails. Tried to make sure all the important stuff (like surveys) was brought to the attention of our families. AAPS still has a way to go when it comes to getting the word out. It's why AnnArbor.com is so important to our community!
Basic Bob
Fri, Feb 19, 2010 : 6:32 a.m.
@Alan Benard, "The same people on the school board who spent lavishly for Skyline and.... shoot down the Nov. 3 schools millage" These issues are separate and each has its own merits. The board was very concerned at the time that Skyline was planned about the future ability to fund operating costs, but the community was sick of the overcrowding at the two large schools. Voters approved the money for this beautiful new building. The WISD millage issue was a despicable attempt to circumvent state law and delay addressing the disproportionate spending in AAPS. Voters DID NOT approve the millage.
Steve Norton, MIPFS
Fri, Feb 19, 2010 : 12:47 a.m.
@burkat: Perhaps that principal was assembling a staff and working to design the innovative programs that have made Skyline such an attractive school to kids across the district? It's not often that you have to start from ground zero; it takes a lot of preparation to do the job right.
burkat
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 9:05 p.m.
Reply to Doug: That principal was hired and paid full salary and benefits for 3 years before the high school was opened. Never could figure out why.
Alan Benard
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 9:05 p.m.
Why were the same people on the school board who spent lavishly for Skyline and insisted the school was needed in a time of declining enrollment THE SAME PEOPLE in cahoots with the county's largest property owner to shoot down the Nov. 3 schools millage?
The Picker
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 8:49 p.m.
If you want to know where all of the money went, take a tour of the new palace to learning they call Skyline. My jaw dropped at the excesses when I toured it for the first time recently. What were they thinking!
DonBee
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 7:54 p.m.
I just want to see them out of the business of renting buildings they will never use again like Dixboro. Time to clean the excess assets off the books.
Beth
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 2:13 p.m.
@MjC, I don't recall ever getting any information sheet sent home from my child's school. I save all handouts in a folder, and I don't have one on this. I definitely would have participated in the survey if I had known, so it sounds like the message didn't reach everyone it was supposed to. @YpsiLivin, I agree that getting input from all taxpayers would be ideal. However, it sounds like they didn't even start by successfully surveying district parents. If they are contemplating moves like "pay-to-play" sports, for example, they really need to find out how that would affect participation for the families who are currently involved in sports.
limmy
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 2:10 p.m.
AAPS absolutely must plan to close buildings. It is much better to plan it now so that parents have a year or 2 to adjust than to go through this same agony every year. The district will continue to shrink because parents want choices. Automatically sending your child to the neighborhood school is a thing of the past. As the offerings of private and charter schools continue to expand, a certain number of parents will choose them for their children. It is inevitable. The biggest group of students that I see looking for alternatives are the ones who tend to get overlooked. They are good, solid students with involved parents but they are not the elite. Their parents want them to be involved in sports, music, theater, academics, etc. and they fear they would be left out at the big AAPS schools that tend to be dominated by high performers.
YpsiLivin
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 11 a.m.
Beth, All PROPERTY OWNERS who pay taxes to support AAPS should be invited to participate in properly constructed surveys. Everyone, not just parents with children in the schools, has a stake in the outcome of these discussions. Do not presume that voices of parents with children in school should carry any more weight than those belonging to the rest of the district's tax base.
MjC
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 10:57 a.m.
Beth the survey was created and compiled by AAPS. Parents, students, alumni, and Ann Arbor citizens were all invited to participate. Yes, it was an online survey, but it was well advertised (letter sent home from the schools, AAPS website, etc.)
Beth
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 9:51 a.m.
Was this online something anyone could do, or were only a few hundred people invited to take it? It seems like something that ALL AAPS parents should have been told about - the budget cuts will affect all of our children!
johnnya2
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 8:56 a.m.
The principal is not responsible to bring enrollment to 100%, so why should he work for less than his salary. I know like most Americans it is hard to see beyond the next 30 days, but having somebody in place throughout is better than having somebody split time between multiple locations.
mom2boys
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 8:49 a.m.
Replying to Doug: My guess...MEA...
dougfroma2
Thu, Feb 18, 2010 : 8:12 a.m.
What happened to that $30MM we voted in a few years ago? Why did you hire a principal teacher at an empty high school? Why is that principal teacher being paid at 100% while the school is only 50% occupied?