Most districts say they're concerned about the future
HANCOCK -- UPDATE: Thurs., March 17, 5:30 p.m.
With local schools potentially losing thousands of dollars under Governor Snyder’s proposed education cuts, the likely solution for many districts will be teacher layoffs.
Obviously, that would be a last resort, but superintendents say they're planning for the worst, which would be the proposed cuts becoming reality and as much as $470 per student being taken away next fall.
That's a problem for Hancock Schools, where they've done everything from reducing supplies to consolidating buildings, and they're running out of little ways to save money.
"We were expecting maybe a $100 cut," says Hancock Superintendent Monica Healy. "We weren't expecting a $470 cut, and we weren't expecting retirement to go up seven percent in the last two years.”
Healy says she's been open with recent hires about the possibility for layoffs if the State makes drastic cuts. But it's all just speculation until the budget is finalized.
"The teachers at the bottom of seniority or that may not have accreditation are nervous about the jobs,” Healy says. “The ones that are going to stay–obviously, if your staff gets smaller, those remaining are doing more, they have bigger class size, and that's not ideal."
Of course, Hancock isn't the only district worried about these cuts. Superintendents in Houghton and Dollar Bay say they should be able to avoid any layoffs this year, but that doesn't calm their concerns for the future.
"We really don't want to jeopardize academics, so we may rely on our fund equity to offset that,” says Dollar Bay Superintendent Dr. Jan Quarless. “The catch 22 is that the State has encouraged us to have a fund equity of up to 15 percent. We've gotten close to that, and now they're taking it away."
Dr. Quarless also mentioned that schools are dealing with a potential increase in retirement costs. He said if both go through, the loss would be even greater, somewhere near $700 per student, and that would be a big problem for his district and many others.
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It's hard to place a value on a child's education, but that hasn't stopped Michigan Governor Rick Snyder from proposing substantial cuts...as much as $470 per student could be taken away next fall.
That's concerning for many districts, including Hancock where they've done everything from reducing supplies to consolidating buildings, and they're running out of little ways to save money.
"We were expecting a $100 cut," says Superintendent Monica Healy. “We weren’t expecting a $470 cut, and we weren’t expecting retirement to go up seven percent in the last two years.
Healy says she's been open with recent hires about the possibilities for layoffs if the State makes drastic cuts. But it’s all just speculation until the budget is finalized.
Schools like Houghton and Dollar Bay say they should be able to avoid any layoffs this year, but they're still worried about the future.
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