As the time for final cuts approaches, Clarkston Board of Education stands behind its decisions over the past year, approving pay raises for employees and new programs while, six months later, seeking to slice $13 million.
That’s the board’s official position. Unofficially, Trustee Joan Patterson and Trustee Rosalie Lieblang aren’t so sure.
“My understanding of our budget and our financial situation has significantly changed since June 2009,” Lieblang said. “The 2011 budget information we received at the Jan. 25 meeting was very surprising. To see numbers that show that we must make at least $7 million in cuts, which uses all of our remaining fund equity, was very unexpected.”
Patterson agreed.
“I think I have been consistent with my questions at past school board meetings asking how can we afford these programs, where is the money coming from, do we have the money,” Patterson said. “Responses to my queries have varied over the time, lacked detail and included statements such as ‘we can afford it’ and ‘do the math, $165 cut per pupil multiplied by per pupil count is our cut.”
The Clarkston News emailed questionaires to each member of Clarkston Board of Education, President Stephen Hyer, Vice President Susan Boatman, Treasurer Joe Armstrong, Secretary Cheryl McGinnis, Trustee Barry Bomier, Trustee Joan Patterson, and Trustee Rosalie Lieblang.
Citing Board of Education Bylaws regulating public expression of board members, Hyer sent responses representing the entire board.
“With any inquiries that come in, as president of the board, I respond on behalf of the board,” he said. “As with any other inquiries, I asked if anyone had any feedback for me in preparing that response.”
Patterson and Lieblang supplied separate responses, specified as their own opinion as per bylaw, and Boatman sent one clarification.
This was a lost opportunity to share what board members think, Patterson said.
‘I don’t know what everyone else wrote, I don’t know where everyone else stands,? Patterson said.
The situation reflects an overall policy of centralizing information, she said.
‘I’ve heard teachers and counselors want to talk to me, but were told all requests have to go to Steve,? she said. ‘That is so wrong ? if someone wants to provide me with information, I should have that right.?
She also had trouble arranging a meeting with Superintendent Dr. Al Roberts and Bruce Beamer, executive director for business services, again asked to forward questions to Hyer instead.
‘We need discussion on the numbers to know how deep the cuts will be,? Patterson said. ‘I’m trying to work together on this, but I feel strongly about the democratic process and the free flow of information.?
According to the Feb. 8 presentation to the school board, an estimated $3.2 million deficit was amended to $6.4 million because of rolled-forward 2009 deficit of $1.6 million, $165 per-pupil state-funding cut, reductions in special education funding, and added new programs such as All Day Kindergarten, Fast ForWord, International Baccalaureate Program, and trimester scheduling.
Hyer’s response defended each program.

All Day Kindergarten
$640,000 startup

“At the time we approved All Day Kindergarten, the state was mandating that within one year, all districts adopt an All Day Kindergarten program or we would lose state aid, which would have reduced our revenue,” said Hyer in an email response. “Then the state changed requirements because of their funding situation and no longer required it.”
The board considered removing All Day Kindergarten, but decided it was not feasible this year.
“This program does offer some excellent benefits to our children by preparing them at a younger age for education,” Hyer said.
Boatman disagrees that All Day Kindergarten is off the table.
“The administrative team has color coded by feasibility the budget reduction items in order to provide guidance to the board,” she said. “As of today, the board is still clarifying what the ramifications are to each suggestion, so all items are still on the table.”

International Baccalaureate
$51,900 startup

The district began applications to International Baccalaureate three years ago, Hyer said.
“It is a program that focuses on how students learn along with taking a more global approach to education,” he said. “Research shows having an IB program increases the caliber of your entire high school program, and with the state’s recent increases in graduation requirements, we believe this is an excellent addition to our curriculum.”
An open-enrollment, schools-of-choice program, IB will also increase revenue, he said. So far, one IB student lives outside the district, said Anita Banach, director of communications and marketing.

Fast ForWord
$370,400 local, state funds

Fast ForWord computer-based program started this year focuses on information processing to improve reading skills, Hyer said.
“It also helps struggling students improve vocabulary, reading comprehension, fluency, and memory so they can attain grade level proficiency,” he said. “We have seen some very positive results ? because of our pilot results, we made the decision to adopt it, even though it was not budgeted this year.”
It was implemented in all buildings, he said. “This program will save money by increasing students? mental ability to process and therefore, less students will require special education referrals,” he said. “This will limit the need for remediation and special services in the very near future.?
Lieblang voted along with Patterson, Oct. 12, to table the $370,400 Fast ForWord proposal for more information. It was approved, Oct. 26. “The information we received at the Jan 25 meeting, and since, would have definitely affected my vote,” Lieblang said. “With that said, Fast ForWord appears to be a good program and I expect it to live up to its claim of reducing costs as it helps struggling students and reduces special education referrals.”

Trimesters
$300,000 to switch

Trimester scheduling was adopted a year and a half ago as a way to keep costs down, while meeting new state requirements.
“We evaluated a number of scheduling alternatives and found trimesters to be the most feasible and least expensive option,” Hyer’s email stated. “If we kept with a six hour semester schedule, students would have no room for anything other than core classes in their schedules. This was unacceptable.”

Superintendent & employee raises
$2.2 million over two years

New teacher contract signed in June included a one-percent raise in 2010 and one percent in 2011, while changing health insurance and extending the contract for one year.
“This was a decrease in overall compensation for our employees,” Hyer said “We saved almost $1 million in health insurance costs while we took a $750,000 raise down to $350,000 in 2010.?
In regards to Superintendent Al Roberts raises, pushing his salary to $154,000 plus benefits this year , and increasing to $160,000 next year Hyer said, ?(Roberts) is one of the most experienced superintendents in the county. New, inexperienced superintendents are being hired in neighboring districts right now making significantly more.?
Hyer said the superintendent took a salary freeze ‘many? times in the past when all other employees received increases, but did not elaborate when or how much.
Patterson voted against the pay increase, while Lieblang was not yet part of the board.
“If you looked at the economic situation around us here in the district and in Michigan in general, pay scales were not being increased,” Patterson said. “In fact, large groups of citizens are taking unprecedented cuts in salaries and benefits. Housing values, which fund our system, are dropping as state unemployment levels soar. To me, increases seemed unsustainable at the time.?
Budget amendments this year have been around one percent of the district’s $86.9 million budget, which is typical, Hyer said.
“We look at our financial numbers monthly so we can foresee future issues and predict cash management as we look forward,” Hyer said. “This board has enacted a plan to spend down our fund equity in an effort to preserve programs for our kids.”
Patterson and Lieblang said budget information presented after the new year was unexpected.
“I was very surprised at the information given on Jan. 25,” Patterson said.
That shows a need to reassess the processes used to evaluate programs and make decisions, Lieblang said.
“This past fall, I believed our only budget issues were those created by the state per pupil reductions, but I now know that is only a portion of our problem,” she said. “As part of my role, I will be analyzing how we can better document and evaluate financial decisions, not just in the current year, but in understanding the impact in future years as well.”
State lawmakers contributes to structural deficits by cutting funding while increasing mandates, Hyer said.
“While we could not predict this midyear cut we just received, we still cannot accurately predict what our state aid per pupil amount will be for fiscal year 2011,” Hyer said. “Through our budget building process, we are working to setup a system flexible enough to absorb the mandates and funding shortfalls thrown our way from the state, but robust enough to maintain our excellent education system focused on challenging our students to exceed their own expectations.”
Patterson agreed.
“The schools funding situation overall within the state has been unstable since before last summer,” she said. “Numbers coming from Lansing have shifted up and down dramatically over that time.”
However, the district needs to follow a more fiscally responsible and conservative path, she said.
“It does little good to offer programs based on ‘one-time’ injections of funds into our district,” she said.