Student count up, budget down for Clare Schools
With a slight increase [eight] in students, and a larger than anticipated state foundation grant reduction anticipated, Clare Board of Education members are being very conservative with the coming year’s budget.
At Monday’s Clare BOE meeting, Clare Superintendent Greg McMillan said about the coming state foundation grant, “We just don’t know. The anticipated $165 cut is $16 less than we projected, but it could be as high as $330. That would be difficult.” He said the $165 per student cut means a loss of approximately ¼ million to the district. If the state decides on the higher cut, it could mean nearly $500,000 less for the district budget than last year. This year’s budget was adopted based on $149.00 less per student and 30 less students in the district.
In his report, McMillan said the first state aid payment was due Tuesday. That payment, 1/11th of the year’s total, arrived according to Clare Schools Business Manager Lynn Graham. The amount received was based on the $165 state reduction of last year’s $7,316 foundation grant or $7,151 per student for this school year. Graham said the reduction amount could change later in the year, but she believes the state will keep the $165 reduction.
She also said the state cut $51.5 million from districts in the 20-J category, who received much more in tax revenues than the base foundation grant, schools mainly in Oakland County. The “hold-harmless” clause, instituted when Proposal A was passed allowed those districts to keep additional funding.
The annual fourth Friday count is 1,527 compared to last fall’s count of 1,519. Adult Education numbers will add another 10.5 FTE students to the budget, or approximately $28,000 said Pioneer High School Principal Lori Enos.
According to an analysis by Graham, the primary school picked up the most new students with 541 at fourth Friday count, compared to last fall’s total of 95. She reported, “Thanks to a large kindergarten and second grade classes, the Primary School enrollment is the largest ever over the last five years.”
Alternative Education also increased by eight FTE students, said Graham. Enos said the school is serving 137 Alternative Education students and 119 adults so far this year.
Clare High School saw the largest loss of students with 441 counted this fall compared to last year’s figure of 472 at the fourth Friday count.
Clare Middle School enrollment differs little from 2008, but is down 20 to 40 students from previous years reported Graham.
In another matter, Clare students will have more options for online classes beginning with the second semester in January.
Deborah Snyder, Assistant Superintendent for General Education at the Clare-Gladwin Regional Education Service District made a presentation to the board about the new Seat-Time Waivers.
The new pilot program, a vision of State Department of Education Superintendent Mike Flanagan, waives the state requirement for a specified number of hours [in school seat time] in classrooms at the district school, is available to all of the Clare-Gladwin RESD districts.
To participate, the board had to approve a resolution to accept Gen-NET slate of classes for on-line students, which prompted a lengthy discussion on the new program.
Board members expressed concern about students losing time with other students and students using the program for their own purposes.
“This is not intended for all students,” Snyder said. “Over the entire RESD only ten percent of the total population of students can be enrolled in the program. She said it could be used for credit recovery, gifted and talented students, drop out or suspended students or medical situations where a student can not be in the school.
“This is where the state wants us to head,” said Snyder, “a blend of in school and online classes.”
“It is a local district decision on how to apply the waiver to their student body,” Snyder said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to meet student’s needs. What does think ‘outside the building’ mean if the rules and regulations are changed?”
In the Clare-Gladwin RESD, Farwell, Harrison, Beaverton and Gladwin have already approved the resolution to accept the teacher-led GenNET classes as acceptable to fill graduation requirements. They have also instituted the new program. In Farwell, 17 students are using Seat-Time Waivers to take online classes. In both Harrison and Gladwin, six students are in the program from each district and in Beaverton, three students are participating.
Clare would start the new program with the beginning of the next semester, McMillan said.
Snyder said the program, originally approved by the State Department of Education for Genesee Schools, will be available for the coming year with a possibility of two one-year renewals to 57 Intermediate School Districts statewide with 427 school districts participating.
Students approved to take more than two online classes instead of in school would need the waiver. She said the high school principal has the final say on who will be allowed to use the program and there is a six-step application process and a contract between the student, parents and the administration. Each student using the program also must have a mentor to monitor progress on a weekly basis.
Other business at the Clare BOE meeting Monday included:
*A thank-you from McMillan to the students and staff at Pioneer High School for being “so gracious” about the delay in getting into the new school. Students are using the old portable classrooms again this year due to delays in state approval for the new facility.
*Recognition to Substitute School Nurse Kelly Wertheimer for her help in the transition period until a new part-time nurse was hired.
*Recognition to Steve Shunk for his donation of a large part of the shipping costs for the new science curriculum materials. His donation of approximately $10,000 enabled the purchase of additional textbooks and software for the new program.
*Recognition of the $5,000 donation made by Robert Folkert, his fourth, towards the all-day every day Kindergarten program.
*Approval of the recommendation of the high school administration to set the date for high school graduation for Sunday, May 23, 2010.
*Approval of October bills totaling $172,989.72.
