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Local budget problems

Items related to the AAPS's current budget difficulties, especially the need to find $11 million in cuts for FY08 and 09.

Hard times ahead: developing a crisis budget

Sun, 01/10/2010 - 1:20pm — Steven Norton

AAPS district officials began their public meetings about next year’s school budget at Huron High School last Thursday night. It’s a sign of the times that despite the slick, snow-covered streets, more than 100 parents, staff and interested citizens showed up to talk about school budget cuts.

A detailed list of the proposed cuts, as of the 7 January meeting, follows the article.

Facing a clouded future: options

Fri, 12/04/2009 - 9:12pm — Steven Norton

Part II: The problem, and a glimpse at solutions we might consider

The poor state of Michigan’s economy, combined with bad tax policy choices in earlier years, mean that school districts across Michigan are having to make huge cuts after years of belt-tightening. The defeat of the Washtenaw Schools Millage has removed one option we had to soften the blow.

But remember: we still have kids to educate. AAPS’s total enrollment actually increased this year. Unlike, say, the auto industry, our schools are not in trouble because of a lack of customers. Demand for a good education has never been higher.

Moving forward, we have two issues on each of two levels: revenues and costs, at the local and state levels. Let’s look at each.

Facing a clouded future

Mon, 11/30/2009 - 3:30pm — Steven Norton

Part I: Reflections on the defeat of the Washtenaw Schools Millage

We as a community will be faced with unpalatable choices as we try to close the $15 to $17 million budget gap that Ann Arbor’s schools will face over the next year, with more cuts to come in the coming years. But before we can make sound choices, we must have a real understanding of what our schools do and what resources that requires. And in order to do that, we must get past the caricatures which were painted during the millage campaign and instead speak to each other as real people with real concerns.

Reality must trump rhetoric when it comes to our schools

Sun, 11/22/2009 - 9:03pm — Steven Norton

An Open Letter to Mr. Albert Berriz and his campaign committee, the Citizens for a Responsible Washtenaw

“...I have called publicly on my fellow members of the Ann Arbor community to get involved in the difficult choices that face our schools, and to educate ourselves about what our schools do and why. But I do not believe that we will find magical ways to reduce spending without significantly reducing the services offered by our schools. This is the very choice which the Washtenaw Schools Millage was designed to avoid. But now that we must come face to face with these hard choices, I call upon you, your company and your campaign committee to stop promoting wishful thinking and start facing up to the painful decisions which face our schools and our community.”

Washtenaw schools millage fails; now what?

Sun, 11/08/2009 - 12:11pm — Steven Norton

Hard choices remain ahead, made even harder by the failure of the Washtenaw Schools Millage. But our real problem, highlighted by this campaign, is the spread of a corrosive world-view in which schools are assumed to be parasites on taxpayers rather than a common investment in the future. This cannot be changed quickly, but change it must, for the sake of our children and our community.

What can I do right now?

Wondering what you can do right now to help keep Ann Arbor’s public schools the kind of place where you want to send your kids? We have a few ideas… Feel free to pass this along!

AAPS schedules public sessions on budget

Mon, 11/30/2009 - 9:59am — Steven Norton

Reprinted from AAPS News:

Budget information sessions scheduled
Monday, November 30, 2009

Ann Arbor school officials will host information sessions in January, where proposed budget cuts will be discussed and suggestions from the public will be encouraged.

Meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be at the following dates and locations:

  • Thursday, Jan. 7 at Huron High School, 2727 Fuller Road.
  • Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Skyline High School, 2552 N. Maple Road.
  • Thursday, Jan. 14 at Scarlett Middle School, 3300 Lorraine.
  • Tuesday, Jan. 19 at Pioneer High School, 61 W. Stadium Blvd.

For updates, check for postings on the district’s new electronic newsletter, AAPS News.

Schools are the foundation of our future

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 4:42pm — Steven Norton

This article was published in the Other Voices series of op-ed columns by the Ann Arbor News on Sunday, June 14, 2009. The version posted on the Mlive.com web site is available here.

The school budget news from Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and other communities in Washtenaw County is disturbing, and for good reason. School officials say that in the next two years we will all be driving over the edge of a “funding cliff” that threatens to injure our public schools for years to come. Some school districts are on the brink of failure, while others are having to cut teaching staff for the first time in recent memory. The depth of the coming crisis varies for each district, but the crisis is coming just the same. The question is, should we try to do something about it? Should we the people, the taxpayers, be worried?

The answer should be a resounding “YES!”

AAPS Budget discussions

Sat, 03/07/2009 - 10:15pm — Steven Norton

Top district officials held open public meetings last week to talk about school funding and the AAPS budget.

Update: A copy of the district’s presentation, and a place to submit questions online, can be found on the AAPS web site.

Attendance was modest in the extreme, and details of any potential cuts were few, but it was a good opportunity to explain to citizens what has been happening with school funding and where the district finds itself today. Even before the Governor’s proposed budget cuts (see story on MIPFS site soon), the AAPS was projecting a deficit of nearly $6 million on a budget of $185 million that would continue the current level of services. While the Governor’s proposed $59 per pupil cut (nearly $1 million in Ann Arbor’s case) is probably moot because of the Federal stimulus funding, the district may still face another $60 per pupil cut in state funding in a separate provision that only applies to higher-spending districts.

Board of Education begins budget process

Wed, 02/11/2009 - 11:15pm — Steven Norton

Disagreements reflect broader splits over school finance

At a special study session tonight, AAPS Superintendent Todd Roberts and Deputy Superintendent Robert Allen gave a preliminary briefing on the school system’s 2009-10 budget. Good news was in short supply, though progress has been made on several fronts and Federal stimulus money may yet come through to help schools. But, absent Federal action, the district’s leadership is projecting a budget deficit of just under $6 million for next year. Without any other changes, the projected trend continues with a $8.74 million deficit in 2010-11 and an even $12 million deficit in 2011-12. They need to close the gap and will be looking for community involvement in making the hard choices.

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