Brandon School District Superintendent Bart Jenniches says the most recent round of proposed cuts to the state budget could once again cost the district thousands.
Last year Brandon, along with other state school districts, tapped reserves to cover expenses for the 2004-05 school year after the state chopped about $74 per student.
Brandon used about $600,000 of reserves, laid off 12 part-time support staff and numerous cuts to building budgets were implemented following nearly $1.5 million in cuts. While the Goodrich School district has tightened down their budget, no layoffs or reserves have been needed. Now, as the new school year begins, state lawmakers are clamoring for even more.
Lawmakers are considering tweaking the per-pupil funding formula in an effort to curb a budget deficit of $1 billion in an effort to balance Michigan’s $39.7 billion budget prior to the new fiscal year which starts Oct. 1.
Two times during the school year the state asks school districts to count the number of students enrolled in their specific district. Currently 80 percent of the funding is based on attendance tallied on the fourth Wednesday in September, and 20 percent is allocated on student count on the fourth Tuesday of February.
Under a new funding proposal, the state is considering revising those percentages to 75 percent per-pupil funding in September and 25 percent in February, a change that would cost the Brandon District about $30,000 and the Goodrich district about $10,000.
‘Attendance is a little higher in September than February so this is going to hurt us,? said Jenniches. ‘It’s pretty consistent every year in we have more (students) in the fall than spring. The bills keep going up each year and still no more money from the state. It’s bad enough they kept the funding the same given the cost of living.?
Health insurance has increased, says Jenniches, buses are aging and computers will need replacing’all have suffered from the recent cuts.
Preliminary enrollment for the 2004-05 school year in the Brandon School District is 3,662 students, up from 3,625 students at the start of the 2003 school year.
Goodrich is also bracing for cuts.
‘The change in the blended count will effect us’no matter how much of a cut it is, it’s difficult,? said Kim Hart, Goodrich school district superintendent.
Currently, the preliminary student count for Goodrich Schools is 2,122 for 2004 up from the 2003 student count of 2,089.
Hart said that since the last round of cuts in January 2004 the district has tightened down and ‘doesn’t have a lot of extras.?
‘Right now it’s the tightest budget we’ve had. Everything including wages, heating and textbooks have gone up over the past few years and the per pupil amount of $6,700 has stayed the same. We’ve not tapped any reserves right now, however, it’s possible we may have to make some changes down the road.?