Dexter School Board Passes Preliminary Budget

The Dexter Community Schools Board of Education unanimously passed its preliminary budget for the 2011-12 school year at its meeting Monday.

The proposed budget forecasts $33.6 million in revenue for the district and $34.2 million in expenses. The district is expecting a $1.8 reduction in overall revenue and will cut expenses by $1 million, Superintendent Mary Marshall said in a previous interview.

Marshall said some of the factors that will increase expenses for the coming year include a 4 percent increase in district contributions to the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS), at a cost of $607,000, and the loss of federal stimulus dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, totaling $413,000. The district also is projecting a net loss of 25 students, or $140,000 from state funding.

The budget proposes increasing employee contributions to health care plans at a savings of $488,000; laying off the equivalent of 1.4 teaching positions; eliminating four transportation routes while avoiding layoffs due to employee resignations ($150,000); and postponing implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at the elementary level ($90,000).

Marshall said one of the teacher layoffs is the result of a staff member returning from an extended leave of absence. The other is a part-time music position. The layoffs are in addition to seven teachers retiring this year.

“While it is always sad to have to lay off teachers, the reduction of positions is inevitable as a result of cuts in the budget from Lansing," Marshall said. "Through a lot of hard work and cooperation from staff, our losses are minimal and as nondisruptive as possible.

"Things happen over the summer and, hopefully, we (will) have the opportunity to call (the teachers) back," she said. "But right now, we have no open positions."

During the public comment portion of the meeting, parent Jennifer Maisch spoke out against funding the International Baccalaureate program at next year. Marshall said in a previous interview that $78,000 ($68,000 for a full-time IB adviser plus a $10,000 registration fee) would be earmarked for the program during the 2011-2012 school year.

“The IB program is a very bad idea," Maisch said.  "It doesn’t give us anything we can’t, or already do, give ourselves."

Maisch said she believes good grades, high test scores and extracurricular activities provide for a well-rounded student, without the need of an IB program.

Dexter parent Chris Gordon spoke on behalf of the IB program, citing the promise of an IB program as one of the incentives that attracted his family to move to the community.

“It (the IB program) will offer additional value to educational excellence in the district," he said. "It is not a curriculum in a box. It is a collection of experiences that is an indicator of success by college admission departments."

Maisch and Gordon also expressed concerns about rumors of increased pay-to-play fees for student athletes during the coming year. Gordon suggested establishing a fund in the community that would offset athlete fees in order to give any student ample chance to play a sport.

While cuts to athletics have not been brought to the school board, Marshall acknowledged that a committee is discussing the issue.

“It is not our intent to reduce offerings or reduce the number of athletes participating in our schools," she said.