| Farmington Public Schools; Going through hard times also | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 8 2006, 12:30 PM (168 Views) | |
| Want2move | Jan 8 2006, 12:30 PM Post #1 |
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Principal
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Heres an article from todays(1/8) Farmington Observer. FPS held a meeting last Thursday night and invited FPS parents and citizens to attend. At this point, it appears they are involving parents and community PRIOR to making any drastic changes. What a novel idea. Public calls for creativity in FPS budget BY SUE BUCK STAFF WRITER Dig a little deeper, consider creative solutions -- that was the sentiment from citizens who attended a budget forum hosted by the Farmington school board Thursday evening. The board and administration want such input as they grapple with an estimated $15 million cut in the 2006-07 budget, which totals about $150 million. Trimming employee fringe benefits to reflect what is being done in private industry, dialing down the thermostat, watching costs associated with consultants and purchased services, combining half days and early release days to save energy costs in the schools and gasoline costs for buses, accurate assessment of the state economy and consideration of the business climate were some suggestions brought up by the public. Farmington Public Schools Supt. Sue Zurvalec said that, while she is an optimistic person, she has to be realistic. "Our philosophy has been to maintain what we have and not make huge sweeping changes," she said. But, staff layoffs are anticipated. "We haven't made up our minds how to do that," she said. Staffing decisions must be made by April 1 according to employee contract rules. Michael Bridges, a Farmington Hills resident, thought the district was being unrealistic in projecting a $200 per pupil increase this year when the district received only one increase of $175 in the last four years. Bridges said that employee contracts should be closely re-evaluated so there is minimal impact to students. He also suggested that staff give up one day of vacation based on years of service. He wondered if the district could merge lawn maintenance and snow removal services with the city of Farmington Hills. Greg Cowley, owner of John Cowley's and Sons in Farmington, and a Farmington Downtown Development Authority member, cautioned school officials to consider the impact if it asks voters to approve a non-homestead tax increase on businesses. As a member of the economic restructuring committee of the DDA, Cowley's job is to attract new businesses to Farmington. "We all want to see a viable downtown, so I am concerned about any tax increase," Cowley said. "This is going to be a tough economic climate not only to grow business but to balance budgets." Mike Leads, a Farmington Hills resident, wanted to see a better ratio of revenues to labor costs. Labor costs are 85 percent of the district's payroll, said Zurvalec. Sharon Bence, a Farmington High School parent, wants the district "to think out of the box." She favors the concept of having advertising signs on buses as a revenue source. "You can filter what you put on the buses," she said. "It is an opportunity to bring in money." She also suggested seeking advertisements from book publishers for the annual "Battle of the Books" competition. Lori Heiden, who has children at Beechview Elementary and East Middle School, suggested better energy conservation by shutting down for a week in the winter. Several employee work groups have made recommendations for cuts this year. Proposed cuts presented in the reports from district departments are not enough to cover the projected $15 million shortfall for next school year, Zurvalec said. About $13 million was trimmed from the budget over the past four years, but more is needed. A PLAN Mary Reynolds, executive director of business services, plans to make $7.5 million in cuts and cover the remaining $7.5 million shortage from its rainy day fund, which is known as the fund balance. The district tries to maintain a healthy fund balance of between 8-12 percent of the general fund. The district is expected to face shortages of $20.9 million in 2007-08 and $29.6 million in 2008-09, according to school officials. About 12,000 students and 980 teachers are part of the district. Specific recommendations for cuts are expected to be presented to the school board's finance committee at its 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24 meeting in the administration building at 32000 Shiawassee. Another public forum will be held at 7 p.m. March 20 at the Maxfield Training Center, 33000 Thomas Street. A public hearing on the budget will be 7:30 p.m. June 6 and the school board will adopt the budget at its 7:30 p.m. June 20 meeting. All meetings are open to the public. The public can also get involved by reading reports on the district's Web site at www.farmington.k12.mi.us by clicking on "What's New on Our Site," then clicking on "Farmington Schools Budget Work Group Report." sbuck@hometownlife.com (734) 953-2014 Originally published January 8, 2006 |
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| fyi | Jan 8 2006, 01:47 PM Post #2 |
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Principal
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Maybe they are learning from our mess. |
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| MrTeacher | Jan 8 2006, 02:25 PM Post #3 |
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Principal
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As someone with intimate knowledge of this situation...next year they will propose to eliminate teaming at the middle school, eliminating 4 to 7 teachers per middle school. Currently, they have a 33 million dollar fund equity, but those figures in the article are true...they will have to cut in lots of areas...They have known about this for the past few years as the foundation grant from the state has not increased while all other costs have. What I do know is that they HAVE solicited info from staff, parents, administration and community. The Superintendent is also in her FIRST year, and doesn't have much classroom experience, but she LISTENS. What I've experienced about Farmington is that if you FEEL that you have a stake in what's happening, change isn't that bad. From firsthand experience, this problem with finances is a problem for everyone, not just Livonia. I'm not so sure I want 850 kids in a 5/6 school, but with the right LEADERSHIP and STAFF at those schools, it can be done. What I most worry about is the bus rides for all those kids. MRTEACHER |
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