Board of Education OKs Budget, Honors Students

OAK PARK – Despite upcoming state budget cuts, teacher layoffs and a board member's pending departure, the Board of Education had reasons to smile during its meeting Monday night at the Avery Center, during which the 2011-12 budget was approved.

The gathering began with the recognition of the top 10 graduates and student athletes. , who announced June 7 that he will step down from his position June 30.

After the festivities, Larry Gallagher, BSD deputy superintendent of finance, facilities and operations, outlined how the district could receive a one-time source of revenue from the state, which could offset some of the per-pupil cuts funding cuts expected in the 2011-12 budget. In turn, he said he expects at least 30 of 45 teachers who have received layoff notices to be recalled.

"When it's all said and done, in my personal opinion, instead of 15 teachers laid off, it may be more like eight or nine,” Gallagher said.

He cautioned that the budget process is ongoing and that staffing levels still could change.

On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Snyder signed the School Aid Fund Budget into law. While his original proposal to cut $470 per K-12 pupil was scaled back, school districts across Michigan still took a hit. As such, the Berkley School District's 2011-12 budget implements a number of cost-cutting measures.

Among them is the transition from a block schedule to six periods at , work on which Principal Randall Gawel told the board Monday is going as well as expected.

Student achievements recognized

Superintendent Michael Simeck said the student honorees were "part of a strong group of graduates this year," who have earned close to $5 million in scholarships. He said there were more merit scholars than in the past three years, and 28 graduates had a grade-point average of 4.0 or above.

“It's a culmination of an awful lot of work from students and parents,” he said. “What you guys have done in high school is much more than many of us did in college, and that's just academics.”

Simeck gave recognition to Elizabeth Lyons (not in attendance), Daniel Ferman, Nicole Lieverman, Nicholas Landgraf, Hoylene Jabboori, Keara Campbell-Fox, Paige Jones (not in attendance), Sarah Greenwood, Yona Isaacs and Alex Steinberg.

Berkley Athletics Director Ron Kane gave recognition to student athletes Shannon Farlow, Hanna Carter, Kathleen Murphy, Audrey Duncan, Justin Peguese, Landgraf, Elliot Littman, Jeremy Raisky (not in attendance) and Gregory Sollish.

The meeting agenda also called for Student Board representatives Bria Askin and Rebecca Luettke to be honored.

Board President Marc Katz told the honorees, many of whom will be attending the University of Michigan as pre-med students: “I know Berkley has prepared you for what you will encounter in the future, and I know I'll see a lot of you on Saturdays at The Big House.”

Budget negotiations

Gallagher outlined how the district could receive a one-time source of revenue from the state during the 2011-12 year. If the funding is approved, the district could get back about $100 per pupil, or $484,000, he said.

But because it would be one-time funding, he warned: “We have to be very conscious of how we use those dollars.”

To receive the funding, four of the following criteria must be met, he said:

• A “dashboard” of objectives must be met, including a low dropout rate and desired MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) scores achieved.

• Competitive bids must be taken on nonessential services, such as busing.

• Employees must share at least 10 percent of health care costs.

Gallagher said the only requirement that may not be met involves sharing employee health care costs, as those contracts already have been settled.

Documentation still needs to be finalized by the state, he said, adding that the guidelines are being “fine-tuned.” But he said he doesn't expect major changes.

“If we are able to bring this to the board in August,the earliest dollars could flow in October,” he said.

Block schedule adjustment

BHS Principal Gawel said there were few conflicts after months of preparations to switch from a block to a six-period schedule to help cut costs while minimizing the impact on classrooms.

Gawel said that during the schedule adjustment process:

• All students' schedules were reviewed.

• Administration and counseling staff met with all students in Grades 8-11.

• Student schedules and information on credits/courses were updated.

“It went about as smoothly as we hoped,” he said, giving credit to Assistant Principal Michael Ross. “We are in a good place with the schedule.”

Gawel explained how some concerns about music and advanced placement courses were addressed. He said the six-period schedule allows some of the more time-consuming courses, such as advanced placement government and AP economics, to become half-year courses with longer class times instead of the usual full-year timetable.

“The choices are still there,” he said. “The percentage of conflicts are low.”

Board of Education Vice President Paul Ellison congratulated Gawel on being able to arrange and test the schedule changes in such a short amount of time.

“To get to this point,” Ellison said, “I can't imagine how you did it all in just a few months.”

Katz brought up possible conflicts with exams and Gawel assured the board that the schedule testing process is continuing and exam times have been discussed with the staff. Gawel said he and his team will continue to review and “tweak” the schedule and will alert students in August if there is a conflict that can't be resolved.

Community speaks out

Two citizens submitted comments to the board Monday night:

• A Southfield parent whose two children attend made a plea to the council to consider a compromise on payment, at least for the 2011-12 school year, so her son can finish eighth grade with his friends. 
• Berkley High School Media Specialist Martha Spear made a plea to retain the current media staff. "I am dismayed with the thinking that just anyone can run a media center," she said. Spear made a passionate case for the importance of qualified media staff in a time when reading, technology and communication are "more important than ever," she said. "We should not sell our students short."

Budget passed

Near the end of the meeting, Katz said he was happy to report that the "budget is in place."

A public hearing on the 2011-12 budget (see attached PDF) was held June 7, and no citizen comments were submitted. , including the teacher layoffs and scheduling changes, as well as through a reduction of special classes and other measures.

The budget calls for "a total tax levy 22.6967 for the 2011-12 school year; 18.00 mills is levied on the taxable value of non-homestead property and 4.6967 mills is levied on the taxable value of all property in the school district," according to the document (see attached PDF).

"We need the right millage rate to service the debt," BSD Communications Supervisor Shira Good explained in an email to Berkley Patch. "So if the current rate doesn't bring in enough money to service the current debt, we need to raise the rate.

"However, it doesn't mean that people will pay more over the term of the loan. We still need the same amount, no matter what – the millage rate changes to make sure the right amount of money comes in to pay the debt," she said.

While the district had to dip into its fund balance for the 2011-12 budget, the fund balance is projected to remain at more than $2 million. However, Gallagher has warned that the practice of tapping the fund balance is not sustainable over the long term.

"Although this budget utilizes significant fund balance and reflects the very unfortunate but necessary reductions to talented and valued staff members, it does, nonetheless, provide the fundamental, solid programming that supports the outstanding teaching and learning for which Berkley Schools is known, despite ongoing difficult and challenging economic times," the 2011-12 Budget Hearing Overview reads.

"Let's keep pressure up on the Legislature and get some of the money back that they have, frankly, stolen from us," Katz said.