The school year runs a bit different from the calendar year, so officials already knew most of the challenges of 2004 months ago.
Karen Foyteck, president of the Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education, said the district is actually at mid-year, with budget challenges, bond construction and federal mandates at the top of the agenda.
‘Our payroll starts in August,? Foyteck said, even though state aid payments don’t come in until late October. The work to build fund equity made it possible to get the 2003-2004 school year started without having to borrow to cover the temporary shortfall.
The much-publicized state budget crisis, however, led to announcements of a reduction in state aid. The latest notification is of a decrease of $84 per student, and officials anticipate no better than a level amount for the following year.
‘We’re very fortunate we have some fund equity to fall back on,? Foyteck said. ‘We’ll be able to carry ourselves through June. [Then] we’ll be looking at places where we can economize and streamline. It will be difficult not to impact student services and student programs.?
The school board has tentative plans for a budget workshop at their Jan. 26 meeting, as they await recommendations from school administrators for possible future budget adjustments.
Possible options include asking voters to approve a long-term ‘sinking fund? for future building maintenance and construction projects, but no specific proposals have been made.
Foyteck said there is good long-term budget news from 2003’s voter-approved bond issue. In addition to providing for additions and renovations to district buildings, the work should result in more efficient heating and cooling and consolidation of staff and programs, Foyteck said.
Designers are still working on specific renovation plans, with more active construction on top beginning this summer.
In the meantime, 2004 will see more discussions of a planned realignment of grades in the current middle school buildings. Administrators and teachers are discussing how to realign curriculum, staff and students so one building will house sixth and seventh grades and the other will be home to eighth and ninth graders.
Foyteck said school officials will continue to grapple with the impact of Michigan Educational Assessment Tests, a big part of the state’s Education YES program, which feeds into the federal No Child Left Behind program which calls for higher accountability and academic performance.
‘Our staff is working extremely hard to analyze data and meet with parents so it is understandable,? she said. ‘They keep changing the tests, and they keep adding sections. It is only one of many indicators to evaluate.?
Foyteck repeated an administrative position of agreement with the motivation of school improvement, but opposition to federal and state methods.
‘We all want to be accountable,? she said. ‘We all want our children to succeed, but it’s almost a bureaucratic paper storm.?
While a new state law revising the election calendar is slated to go into effect in 2005, voters can anticipate the standard June school election this year. Foyteck and Trustee Mary Ellen McLean will have a decision whether to run for reelection this year.
With the challenges facing the district, Foyteck said there is reason for excitement, both from the sense of community support and student achievement.
‘Our support has been phenomenal. We’ll survive,? she said. ‘Every year our kids surprise us. Every year’s an exciting year.?