Blogging Live from the Board of Education Meeting

The regularly scheduled meeting came to order at 6:03 p.m. and began with the pledge of allegiance.

The seats in the Board of Education building are almost full with Trenton residents, City Council members and city employees including several teachers wearing bright orange.

The meeting kicked off by awarding Michelle Tascoff, third grade teacher at Anderson Elementary School, with the Golden Apple Award. Look for the full story on the award in an upcoming article on Trenton Patch.

6:07 p.m.

Public Comments: an audience member and Trenton resident made a complaint about busing. She said there is a safety issue with the bus route. She said she "won't drop the bus issue." She did not say specifically what the issue was.

6:13 p.m.

Board Comments: Board member Carol Oakley commented on the great work put forth by Trenton students who participated in the production of "Back to the 80s" on Friday. Look for the Viewfinder on Trenton Patch.

6:16 p.m.

Trenton Public School officials presented the board the Spring 2011 Trenton Educational Foundation Grant Awards for Trenton High School in the amount of $6,734.80. The grants are set to go toward Student Council, high school physical education, special education, counseling department and career specialist, math and counseling. A full list of the grants and where they will be spent can be found on the Trenton Public Schools website.

The board approved the grants, thereby accepting the funds to be used in the above places.

6:23 p.m.

The start times for the regular meetings on April 11 and May 23 were changed from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and that the start time for the regular meeting on May 9 bwas changed from 6:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in order to include an update on bond improvements.

6:28 p.m.

The presentation of the 2011-2012 Preliminary Budget:

• The fund balance is expected to be about half of what it was this year in 2011-12.

• Student enrollment is down.
• Based on Gov. Rick Snyder's plan per student funding would be reduced significantly, if the plan is passed.
• Fund Balance: $1,398,966. Without state reductions the fund balance will fall to a deficit of $2,488,950. With state reduction the fund balance would be much further in deficit.
• "The state is asking us to pay our bills with the same amount of money that we received in 2003-04," Superintendent John Savel.

• The district's budget must be adopted by June 30 and the state must adopt its budget by October.
• Several costs are likely to increase.

Proposed District's Expenditure Changes:

• All day kindergarten discontinued.
• Athletic subsidy reduced by 25 percent or $306,460.
• Eliminnate all general education transportation.
• Eliminate 3 Administrative Positions: Middle School Assistant Principal, Supervisor of Accounting and Transportation Supervisor.
• Eliminate 26 additional positions by increasing class sizes.

With eliminations, the district still is expected to have a budget shortfall.

Major Ramifications

Larger class sizes: 28-39 elementary, 36-40 middle school, present ratio 22.3 to 1 at high school currently and increased to 29.5 to 1 next year.

Some courses will either not be offered or only offered on a every-other-year basis.

No General Education busing.

All athletic programs will have to have additional funding to exist.

6:58 p.m.

The board discussed the preliminary budget by asking Savel questions. Some questions included number of pink slips handed to teachers. Savel's answer was 60-70 teachers, though that many teachers would not need to be reduced as seen in the proposed budget.

There were several questions and comments made by board members regarding reducing kindergarten to half day. Board member Mike Hawkins showed concern that if the announcement is made that the district is reducing kindergarten to half day, parents may pull their children from the district, thereby further reducing per student funding.

"None of us signed up to disassemble this district," Board President Dennis Bearden said. "We signed up to help this district. For every kindergartner we lose, we lose $110,000 throughout their time in Trenton schools."

Bearden recommended going forward with a full day of kindergarten, no matter where the money would have to come from.

Board members requested redoing the budget with the assumption that full day kindergartner would remain as it is now.

Bearden requested the cost for remaining full day kindergarten and the cost of reducing to one full day class.

Savel said not having enough full day classes for parents to enroll their students caused considerable "ill will" from parents in the past. He added a lottery to select students for the one full day class would cause "too many problems and in the end we are trying to please everybody and we end up pleasing nobody."

Board members decided to add a workshop to further discuss the budget at 6 p.m. April 5 before the next regularly scheduled meeting on April 11.

7:39 p.m.

Bearden made a motion to delay executive session to the close of the meeting and it passed.

7:40 p.m.

Resolution opposing school aid fund transfer to higher education: Savel said there could be an increase by almost $200 by not putting school aid fund monies into higher education. All board members voted in favor of opposing the resolution.

"The people in Lansing want to hear from the community in response to this (resolution)," Savel said.

"Do not take our dedicated school aid fun and use it to fund community colleges or higher education," Oakley said.

"It's not that we are against community colleges and colleges, it's just that the way we are funded are different," Savel said.

Savel added that colleges can raise tuition to make up lost state funds, but they (Trenton Public Schools) cannot.

7:49 p.m.

Public Comments II:

At least one person mentioned the importance of general education transportation and the elimination of the Transportation Supervisor position.

Board members went to closed session at 7:56 p.m. and are scheduled to adjourn the meeting when they return.

Look for a full budget story tomorrow at 6 a.m. detailing the cuts proposed by Savel.