Ypsilanti superintendent: Drastic cuts likely if Snyder's budget passes, countywide millage fails
If the governor's proposed budget is passed and a county special education millage fails, Ypsilanti schools could be forced to consider eliminating busing or programs like athletics, band and after-school activities or could face the prospect of putting 40 to 50 students in a classroom, Superintendent Dedrick Martin said.
“Everyone knows these things are unacceptable and not good for kids,” Martin said. “How much further can we go before we have to really own up as a community and state and say ‘We aren’t trying educate kids, we’re trying to warehouse kids.’ Is that what we want for the future of our community and state?”
Ypsilanti schools Superintendent Dedrick Martin laid out a bleak scenario if Gov. Rick Snyder's budget is approved and a countywide special education millage fails.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
YPS officials are projecting a $5.6 million deficit and have a $54 million budget for fiscal year 2012. As part of the district's state-mandated deficit elimination plan, YPS officials anticipate balancing the budget by fiscal year 2015.
Next year, officials expect the district to lose $3.79 million and post a cumulative deficit of $9.89 million. The budget includes $1.96 million in school board-approved cuts, a loss of $1.23 million from the special education millage's decreasing revenue and $586,000 in retirement cost increases.
The millage goes in front of voters May 3, and Snyder has said he will make a decision on school funding in May.
Snyder is proposing cutting $454 in per pupil funding next school year. Currently the district receives $7,983 per student and the impact on YPS would mean an additional loss of $1.78 million.
Combined with the district's already projected $3.79 million loss, the operating deficit would be pushed to $5.57 million and the cumulative deficit to $11.68 million. Much of the drop in per-pupil funding comes from the shifting of K-12 dollars to fund community colleges and universities.
If that money moved to pay for higher education was left untouched, Martin said, then schools would see a slight increase in their state aid allowance of $240 per pupil.
Martin said he wants residents to know the impact of those budget cuts on education and people to "understand the gravity" of the situation more reductions would create.
“It’s increasingly difficult to give the time and attention and focus to kids that they need … when your resources are steadily being stripped," Martin said.
The district also faces the possibility of losing money now that the special education millage is set to expire. Built into the projected $3.79 million deficit is a $1.23 million loss of special education revenue brought on by a decrease in property values. If the millage renewal also fails, the district will lose an additional $1.4 million, bringing the total operating deficit next year to $6.97 million.
Martin underscored that the millage would not mean an increase in taxes, but would renew a .985 mill tax that has been in place for the last seven years. YPS currently budgets $16 million for special education.
The district cut $11.35 million from its budget between fiscal year 2008 and fiscal year 2011.
Approximately 84 percent of the district's budget is composed of what Martin called instruction and support, which includes teachers, teachers’ assistants, building administration and secretaries.
The rest is made up of what Martin called support services and includes costs associated with central administration, custodial costs, executive secretaries and transportation.
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Comments
Martin Church
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 5:30 p.m.
I am voting NO. it is time to end the activities of the Intermediate school districts in this state and shift those funds to the local schools. Then the local school districts can pool resources to solve the problems with the voters. We have a choice eliminate the Intermediate school districts in this state or eliminate the local school districts. We can not afford both.
Beth
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 3:19 p.m.
Please remember that these are MANDATED special education services - if you have a child who has special needs or requires special services, the school district is required by law to provide them. The law does not provide any funding to cover the costs of these services, however, and they can be VERY expensive. These services cannot be cut; if the millage does not pass, money will be taken away from other areas. Ypsilanti and the other districts are not "wasting" money on special ed services, and they can't cut them.
LC
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 1:31 p.m.
I say bring on the cuts! If Ypsilanti school district can't educate children without spending more money then those children don't deserve to learn.
PattyinYpsi
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 1:13 p.m.
For those of you who have expressed determination to vote no on any municipal requests for money, please consider this: We all know that where there are elected officials, there will be some level of greed and corruption. But voting not to fund something as vital as a school system won't stop those abuses. People who go into public service in order to feather their own nests will find feathers, no matter how plucked the chicken. It will just mean even less for the real needs of the schools. When the education system fails, the effects on the community are far-ranging--from reduced job readiness to increased crime. Don't forget that when businesses consider where to put their offices and plants, they don't consider only the tax rate. They look at the supply of skilled labor. It would be wonderful if we could solve the problem of greedy public officials just by voting no on taxes. It has never worked.
towny
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 3:51 p.m.
So just keep voting yes and we will solve the problem. You do not seem to understand the school districts rank right up there with the greedy public officials they spend and spend more and when they experience deficits rather than cut and do there jobs they go to the public for for money. Times are changing people have opened their eyes. Mentalities like yours is part of the problem. Its broke and something needs to change.
jns131
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 2:35 p.m.
This is not the general ed fund, this is special ed funding. I am voting no because they can get their money from the general ed fund and still have some left over. Having a special ed fund is like letting the fox into the hen house to take what is not theirs. No, let the special ed fund use what is there. General ed fund for all.
jns131
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 10:29 a.m.
Busing eliminated? Boo hoo. Ypsilanti already has hired Trinity to take over what they cannot find in drivers to do the job to keep parents from complaining. At the expense of $180,000 per year to pick up the slack, I am voting no on the mileage to prove that WISD cannot do busing and special ed at the same time. I am also voting no because WISD is misappropriating funds and not putting the money were it is suppose to go. WISD needs to stay on the special ed side of the fence and leave transportation alone. As I am hearing from all sides of transportation, if the mileage fails, transportation for what was considered and suppose to keep Ann Arbors cost down, will ultimately become Ann Arbors nightmare when Trinity takes over and busing is privatized. If the mileage from last year failed? So will this one. I am voting no to higher taxes. Can't wait to hear the parents scream over this one as well.
Justice4all
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 3:42 a.m.
Superintendent Martin, I'm glad you are where you are. If it were easy anyone could do it and in these unsettling times I'm at least pleased to finally have quality leadership in the district. I hope school board members recognize the great work you and your staff are doing.
joe baublis
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 3:20 a.m.
Snyder's budget is necessary because for the past 40 years the People of Michigan have allowed their government to run up yearly deficits that accumulated into a State "debt". The "debt clock" indicates that Michigan's debt is $80 Billion - AND - that Michigan is running a $2.5 Billion dollar yearly deficit. The Ypsilanti Superintendent may be playing a scam by telling the PEOPLE what the deficit is - while concealing the amount of the total debt. I understood the Ypsi debt was $175 million, and Saline was at $200 Million. Why didn't he tell us that? We - the People of Michigan - allowed this debt to grow because we did not oversee and scrutinize our government. We were having a good time and that's all that mattered. Well now it's crunch time and somebody had to step up to the plate and fix the financial mess. If we don't fix it now, then Michigan will not be extended any more bond credit, and all those teachers will get "IOU" payments, and road construction will stop, and the state police will shut down, and so on and so forth. Think very carefully about it, the only reason that State employees - like teachers - are getting paychecks is because bond companies were still willing to lend the State money. But the State cannot keep up on the interest anymore, so the bonding companies are pulling back, People are leaving the State, property values are declining, and we are blaming each other. These problems have been building for 40 years, and Mr. Snyder had the courage to step in and fix it. Of course it's going to hurt everyone. We will all be strung out. But we need to do it, or else Michigan will collapse. Incidentally, the special ed millage is peanuts. Pass the millage or not, there will be massive cuts because the State does not have funds, and the school districts are deeply in debt due to their own poor planning. God bless the teachers, but I wish they hadn't taught us to rely on the authorities so much. Joe Baubli
DonBee
Sun, Apr 17, 2011 : 2:03 a.m.
According to the June 2010 audit report the total liabilities of the YPS is $105 million. Of that $82 million is for construction and secured by a bond millage. Most of the rest is short term debt. The audit report is here: <a href="http://www.ypsd.org/aboutus/abpdf/81020FS.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://www.ypsd.org/aboutus/abpdf/81020FS.pdf</a> I would love to know where you got the $175 million number, I have spent a good chunk of the day looking for it and can not find it.
Grant
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 10:53 a.m.
Joe: Where is your evidence that the two districts are in such large deficits? True, there are financial problems, but certainly to the magnitude you purport.
Justice4all
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 3:47 a.m.
So the answer is massive tax breaks to the wealthy while cutting services for seniors, students and those most at risk? I need not say any more. That speaks for itself. Absurd.
snapshot
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 2:32 a.m.
I'm voting NO on ANY millages. It's the ONLY way, it appears, to initiate fiscal responsibility in our government agencies, including education. No more cushy "consulting" jobs for retirees, no more top heavy adminsistration. These folks are so irresponsible they budget money they don't even have yet. NO MORE, NO MORE. when you get your personnel costs under control and less than 60% of revenue (now at 85%) then I may consider a yes vote on a millage if I see "added value" for the kids, not for the employees.
towny
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 11:45 p.m.
Cry, Cry , Cry, and Cry some more. Will vote NO on any money. Time to face reality of this states situation. Been excessive spending to long. Hip Hip Hooray! for Gov. Snyder an elected official willing to make the right difficult choices this state needs.
sad day
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 10:08 p.m.
Lets get honest....Ypsilanti administration is willing to do cuts to save their own jobs...If the state sends an EFM, it will be their jobs in Administration that will be cut first. I know the district is struggling but most of the waste comes from them. Why would a school district employee that lives in Washtenaw County agree to the millage when the threat of losing their jobs is always looming over them. Things need to get back to the basics and give students the public education they deserve and knock off the politics. I'm sure if an EFM comes to the district the first thing they find is that they are administrative heavy compared to other districts per pupil. They put teachers in classrooms, custodians per sq footage, bus drivers hired all based on student enrollment. If its good enough for all the other employees, there should be no exception for the administrative needs. This should not be business as usual when this generation of students will someday be the politicians and contributors to the community. Under the current leadership I find this a scary thought.
zip the cat
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 9:33 p.m.
Its called Live within your means or Make do with what you get Schools always think they are above working persons and can live high off the hog. Sure I'd love to drive a big black caddy,but I can only afford a used car. Times are a changeing voters are on to your past ways. Maybe you havent heard the economy is in the pits and giving more is out of the question. When I and tons of other voters see a school system give out a $56.000 raise when were in the position we are in with people and school workers loseing jobs and having to cut back and then they spend money they don't have then guess what I will vote NO for any thing that is related to money.
Cash
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 9:49 p.m.
Not to mention hiring a new superintendent for the WISD ....why an entire administration repeated for the WISD???? Why can't schools that it "services" do the administration and support staffing??
Cash
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 8:55 p.m.
<a href="http://www.annarbor.com/news/washtenaw-intermediate-school-district-selects-two-finalists-for-open-superintendent-position/">http://www.annarbor.com/news/washtenaw-intermediate-school-district-selects-two-finalists-for-open-superintendent-position/</a> Wasteful....why not share a superintendent with one of the existing districts. There's too much WASTE!!
DonBee
Sun, Apr 17, 2011 : 1:50 a.m.
Cash I agree with you.
grye
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 8:43 p.m.
The millage is a renewal of an existing millage. Under state mandate, special education is funded through the school systems. The original millage was passed to provide the necessary funds to meet the special education requirements instead of taking the money from the schools. If the millage does not pass to continue funding special education in this fashion, then the school systems will need to provide the necessary funding to meet state requirements. I would urge everyone to vote for this continued millage.
DonBee
Sun, Apr 17, 2011 : 1:49 a.m.
Macabre Sunset - Mostly we see things the same way. This time we don't education is more like the phone bill or the cable bill than a new car. You sign a contract with a provider and pay a monthly fee. When the term of the contract is over, you have to decide if you want that level of service again or something else.
PattyinYpsi
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 1:04 p.m.
Education funding is not a car. There isn't a finite pay-off period; the need for funding continues. Along with grye, I encourage everyone to vote to continue the millage.
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 10:43 p.m.
Just curious... if you buy a car, do you calculate how much you can spend based on the cost of the car, or the monthly payment? And, if you purchased a car using a five-year loan, would have any objection if the dealer extended the loan to ten years, saying that's what you pay for cars anyway?
Dante Marcos
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 8:31 p.m.
Governor Snyder can't wait to send in an EFM to straighten out "the troubled" Ypsilanti Public Schools. The YEA will be abolished, 40 children will be shoehorned into classrooms, after-school programs will be cut— but we'll will continue to hear raucous laughter and merriment in the country clubs of America. Green Hills students, in the back seats of their parents' Mercedes, may begin to notice more people begging for money just off the highway, but other than that, all will remain well for the average affluent caucasian Republican.
Grant
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 10:44 a.m.
Macabre: I find your comment a bit flippant, considering that most parents in the Ypsilanti School District are struggling to feed and cloth their children. It is not a matter of choosing which schools are best for their children, it is a matter of survival, in the most fundamental ways.
garrisondyer
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 3:27 a.m.
As a Greenhills alum, I'm a little offended by the way you just shoehorned me into the proverbial box. But not a lot... I know this is just an online forum. But the sentiment is what it is, I suppose, and you seem to have shown your colors on the issue. While the overall average of Mercedes in the parking lot very well may be higher than at the AAPS schools, your stereotypical wealthier families have their kids in all schools around town. As a public school teacher, I've been increasingly alarmed, and occasionally outraged, by the seemingly growing number of people who believe public education needs to be converted into a system run like a private, for-monetary-profit business in a "right to work" state. While I think it's obvious there are things that need to change within the system, I also believe it's possible to do so without wholesaling the future of my students and all others who currently attend and might even rely on their public education. Seems like we agree on some things, Dante?
Moscow On The Huron
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 2:54 a.m.
You the EFM and the rich Republican parts in your copy-paste from your daily DNC orders, but you forgot to throw in something about the Koch brothers and destroying the middle class.
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 10:41 p.m.
Always nice to see a healthy helping of class warfare from the indignant. I think if you look through the parking lot at Greenhills, you will find cars of all types. Mercedeses mix with Toyotas and maybe even the occasional inferior Chrysler. What you will find, however, is parents committed to their children's education. Even if it means they can't buy a Mercedes.
Macabre Sunset
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 7:52 p.m.
It's not a renewal. It's a new tax set up to begin hitting our children in the future. It happens to match an old tax. I received not one, but two emails from the schools today urging that I vote for this new tax. Is that even legal?
Cash
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 6:44 p.m.
There are a lot of working poor in Ypsilanti district. Here's an example of what will happen to them tax wise: Low-income single parent with two children Income $22,000 — Earned income from $11/hour job | $1,440 in property taxes State Earned Income Tax Credit of $772 is wiped out. Child tax exemption of $1,200 is wiped out. Property tax credit refund increases by $134. Bottom line Old rules: Tax refund of $749 Proposed rules: Tax refund of $60 Change: 92 percent tax increase of $689 Expenses will have to be reduced for a lot of folks. They cannot afford a continuation budget. Their budget will be reduced...and that means that cannot afford more property taxes. It is not a matter of what they would LIKE to do. It's the fallout of the cut to the working poor.
grye
Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 12:20 p.m.
I agree that there is still some functions within the school systems that can be combined to create efficiencies of scale, however this millage renewal is to cover additional requirements the state has laid upon the school systems to aid special education. If you think that the millage is not necessary, should the requirement to provide aid for special education go away? Why force all the schools to pay for this requirement? Why not let WISD figure out how to save money and fund it themselves? Or maybe there to be some conservative individual (or a middle of the road liberal) who can help to reorganize the school system and find the needed dollars.
Cash
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 9:24 p.m.
grye, Millages votes for school districts are also not a right. They are a privilege. School waste too much money. They have lost the privilege to rip off the taxpayers.
Cash
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 9:21 p.m.
grye, Yes, the poor CAN pay their bills . And they want to live within their budget. Therefore they will do the wise budgeting. Maybe it's time for the school to try the same. Welcome to the real world.
grye
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 9:15 p.m.
Give me a break. Home ownership is not a right. It is a privilege for those who are willing to put money away and pay for it. If you cannot afford a house, then move out and rent. Next thing you are going to say is electricity, gas, cars, clothing, cable tv and cell phones are a right. Renting a place is not the end of the world. Want to have your own house, then pay the property taxes.
Cash
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 9 p.m.
grye, I don't think any of us have a right to tell a person they should rent not own a house. because they can't afford to pay increasing property tax and increasing income tax. If they based their budget on given tax figures and the tax figure changes by $689, that really increases their tax liability. Therefore they WILL vote down millages that come before them. Count on it. That is their right. They have a right to own a home just as much as a rich person. They have a right to vote down a millage.
grye
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 8:48 p.m.
However if someone cannot afford to pay property taxes, they should be renting instead of owning. Owning and keeping a house requires the ability to pay the property taxes. If they cannot afford to pay the taxes, there are other options.
grye
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 8:46 p.m.
We don't often agree on much but there should be a set level of poverty that would allow individuals and families below this level to not have to pay any income taxes. I believe there is currently some income number but it should be raised. In fact I would like to see that minimum number be applicable to all individuals/families and then the amount over the minimum is taxed. This would certainly be fair.
DonBee
Thu, Apr 14, 2011 : 6 p.m.
I agree with Superintendent Martin, if the millage fails, there will be drastic cuts. It is a renewal. Originally the WISD wanted to increase it, but they wisely decided to make it a pure renewal. As to cuts, I would ask him, will he take the easy way out and cut teachers or will he take the hard road and look at consolidation of services and reduction of administrative costs?