Letter From Dr. Green

This afternoon we will be sending home a letter from Dr. Green to all parents. Having three sons, I know there were probably countless number of "things" sent home that never made it. For that reason, below is a copy of the letter.

Dear Parents and Community,

I am writing you today to update you on the extraordinary budget challenges facing East China School District and the efforts underway by the school to manage this situation and its impact on student learning and our outstanding educational programs.

The 2011-2012 budget proposed by Governor Snyder cuts our school aid by $300 per pupil. It also raises the retirement rate we have to pay the state by $239 per pupil. This is a total reduction of $2.5 million to East China Schools. Coupled with other funding losses due to declining enrollment and rising expenses, ECSD is facing a $5.2 million financial problem, which is over 10% of our budget.

The Governor’s budget talks about the need for “shared sacrifice”. But, by far the largest cuts in this budget are to the Department of Education (10.3%) and the School Aid Fund (7.3%). Much of this money will go towards funding a business tax cut and higher education. Although, the Michigan constitution of 1963 allows the school aid fund to support higher education, it has never been done to this extent. Universities can raise tuition to help cover their rising expenses, but school districts are totally dependent on the state for funding.

The East China School District carefully manages its funds. As funding has been reduced over the last several years, we have reduced staffing by over 100 teaching positions and laid off teachers, closed a school, adjusted benefits to staff, and made dozens of other adjustments to handle the financial crisis. Generally, we have not had to reduce our program or raise class sizes too high. But, clearly, changes will occur to almost all of our programs if we are not properly funded by the state as was promised by Proposal A. Our $5.6 million fund equity can be used judiciously to help balance our budget, but we need to match our expenses to our revenue. We have very few choices left to balance our budget. Employees have made concessions in the past, and they will be asked to step up again. But, there is no way we could balance the budget on concessions alone. We will need to make cuts to staffing to address declining enrollment, and we’ll need to make other cuts as well. This proposed budget does not give us any realistic chance to continue to function at the high level that we have in the past.

The Governor’s budget, if adopted, will be the biggest cut in funding for schools ever. There is a more balanced approach that will help the state meet its obligations and yet still support the schools. For example, implementing the governor’s business tax cuts over a three to five year time span to help reduce the impact could be considered. Do we need the largest business tax cut in the history of Michigan to be implemented in one year given the many budget issues we’re facing? It makes sense to consider implementing it over time. This budget does not share the sacrifice and does not have the best interests of our children in mind.

What can you do? We ask all of you to contact your state legislators to communicate your concern.

Senator Phil Pavlov
P.O. Box 30036
Lansing, MI 48909-7536
Phone: (517) 373-7708
FAX: (517) 373-1450
Email: www.senatorphilpavlov.com

Representative Jud Gilbert
S-1185 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: (517) 373-1790
Toll Free: (877) 455-2378
Email: JudGilbert@house.mi.gov


Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Rodney P. Green, Ph.D.
Superintendent