Godfrey-Lee Schools Superintendent Dave Britten tells district employees of the budget problems that will lead to serious cuts to programs and staffing.WYOMING — Godfrey-Lee Superintendent Dave Britten likened the public education cuts proposed by Gov. Rick Snyder to the military pulling billions of dollars and every tenth person from commanders in Afghanistan, and asking them to “get better and win.”
“Where’s the logic?” he asked employees Friday while explaining the district’s financial woes and why more than 100 of them may get pink-slipped in April.
Glum faces greeted his outline for not just staff cuts, but significant program and curriculum cutbacks that would happen if Snyder’s plan passes the Legislature unchanged.
Britten framed his oratory as a union fight that requires mobilization on a scale less than Wisconsin, but still enough to make an impact on state legislators.
“What they want is to break the union,” he said. “I’ll point out the elephant in the room. That’s exactly what’s going on, and the general public doesn’t know it.”
Britten blasted the plan to shift $896 million in school aid fund revenue that traditionally is earmarked for K-12 education to cover colleges and universities as counter to the intentions of Proposal A.
“That shift means the promises of Proposal A weren’t worth the paper they were written on,” he said. “Nowhere in the original ballot language does it mention higher education.”
At Godfrey-Lee, a $2.8 million projected deficit in 2011-12 forced notice this week of 48 teachers, including all non-core curriculum, and 55 support staff, to prepare for possible lay-off.
Under Snyder’s plan, public schools would get $781 million less in per-pupil costs, effectively cutting their state funding by $715 per student, according to the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council in Livonia.
“The general public honestly thinks that what’s going on in Lansing right now is to make schools better and to solve the state’s fiscal problems,” Britten said. “That’s not it.”
“The idea behind the governor’s plan is to get us back to the table and find that $300-per-student out of the pockets of the employees.”
The Godfrey-Lee district serves a low-income population — 90 percent of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and 40 percent need remedial English — and has struggled with deficits for several years
Drastic cutbacks proposed for Godfrey-Lee
The situation
A $2.8 million projected budget deficit at Godfrey-Lee schools in 2011-12 if Gov. Rick Snyder's $470 per-pupil public education cuts pass the Legislature. This represents 14.6 percent of the district operating budget and could lead to bankruptcy in two years if not mitigated.
The finances
Since 2000 at Godfrey-Lee, state revenue is down 15 percent. Total revenue is down 4.7 percent. Added needs expenses are up 18 percent. Instructional support is up 43.5 percent. Non-instructional expenses are down 23.8 percent. Average teacher salaries are down 20 percent. The district is working with $18.5 million in total 2011-12 revenue.
Impact on staffing
All salaries and wages would be frozen. Forty-eight teachers (nearly a third of total) and 55 support staff are told they may be laid off in April. District will consolidate all secondary principal duties under the superintendent, leaving only one principal for five schools.
Impact on programs
All-day kindergarten would be reduced to half-time. Reduction in reading teachers, and possibly cutting all world languages. Closing or not staffing media centers and computer labs. Special education and remedial English programs reduced to the specific tested needs. Athletics would be cut back. Ballooning elementary class sizes. Extra-curricular and extended learning activities would be limited to only those grant-funded.
The Position
"It's difficult to impossible to develop, test and implement innovate and creative solutions for improved student learning with declining resources and capital," Superintendent David Britten.
In the 2010-11, they cut $1.4 million from the budget and $750,000 the year prior, Britten said. They have privatized services and will likely continue this summer, as well as consolidated administrative duties and focused on cost sharing through regional partnerships.
He acknowledged that regardless of the situation in Lansing, everyone will probably have to pay a larger share of their health care and retirement costs going forward.
“You don’t talk about teachers having golden parachutes,” he said. “It’s only recently become a problem to the public because of the hit on the economy.”
Among myriad possible curriculum cutbacks: eliminating trimesters and scaling back the high school program to just the 18 credits required by the Michigan Merit Curriculum, down from 27.5 minimum required for graduation at Lee.
Britten briefly turned the floor over to Rep. Tom Hooker, R-Byron Township, who distanced himself somewhat from “the governor’s plan.”
“I’m hoping this is not the final outcome,” he said. “On the same token, I want him to sell his program and his plan for public schools. If he can do that, great. If he can’t, it’s going to be hard for me to vote for him.”
Hooker — who voted for the contentious financial manager legislation this week — said the state education department is developing a new way to evaluate and certify schools “that is throwing up some big red flags for me.”
Brian Cahoon, a social studies teacher at Lee High and president of the district teacher’s union, said the district budget talks have been done in collaboration with union representatives.
“This isn’t being done to us by the district,” he said.
“Even though we’re looking at being cut, our chins are up because we’re being talked to. Our voices are being heard,” said Kevin Gabrielse, a band teacher who received notice of possible layoff.
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