Plymouth-Canton School Budget Talk Draws Hundreds

Tough questions and a sometimes grim atmosphere filled auditorium on Wednesday night.

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools' officials must have a budget approved by June 30. But they are faced with from the $162 million budget -- and there are no easy solutions.

More than 300 parents and some district employees crowded into the space at Discovery Middle School to hear a presentation by the district's director of business services, James Larson-Shidler, followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by school system spokesman Frank Ruggirello Jr.

Larson-Shidler listed 30 , including reducing bus service for kindergartners to once a day; closing an elementary school, privatizing bus services, limiting building hours, closing the administration building and selling school buildings or land. Reducing the talented-and-gifted program, which service more than 300 students, from elementary to middle school could save more than $132,000 and closing the district's alternative school, Starkweather Education Center, and moving students to another building, could save $700,000. Reassigning school nurses would chip $301,000 from the presumed deficit.  Some combination of those cuts are certain.

But one thing is sure, according to school officials: Every line item in the budget not mandated by law will be considered optional.

"We’ve already picked that low-hanging fruit," said Ken Jacobs, the deputy superintendent who is the district's acting executive. He added that this round of budget cuts "is not one school versus another. We’re looking at programs" and that the aim in making cuts is to "not affect the basic education of students."

Changing bus services from the current 1-mile pick-up distance to 1.5 miles could save $42,000; privatizing such services as transportation, custodial, food and plant engineering could cut an estimated $4 million from the anticipated shortfall.

No decisions were made Wednesday. John Jackson, the school board president, said the whole purpose of the hearing is to get the word out to parents, to make it clear how serious the budget woes are to students. He said he hopes parents take time to let lawmakers know where they stand on state funding and education.

Jackson took extensive notes during the meeting and characterized the mood among those present as "concerned." He also said one of the biggest threats to the school district is the growing number of charter schools in the area, which have already siphoned about 700 students away from Plymouth-Canton's elementary schools. Two more charter schools planned in Canton are scheduled to open in the fall. One is for kindergarten through eighth grade; the other is a high school.

"Charter schools are for-profit," he said after the meeting. "It's not a level playing field."

During a question-and-answer period after Larson-Shidler's presentation, Jennifer Greening asked whey the district was spending money to bus specials needs children like her daughter to Northville. Why, she asked, couldn't Plymouth-Canton's district serve these children? Cindy Swift, assistant superintendent for instruction, said districts which specialize in some areas of instruction and share those services create economic efficiencies.

Some of the questions offered schools officials a chance to quell rumors, including one that the district would pink-slip 227 teachers on April 12. Jacobs said that is not true.

Another question appealed to the district to expand hours for child care before and after school as well as provide child care even when schools are closed for professional development days.

Swift said some changes could be made.

"We have a number of ideas. We hope we will realize some improvement there," she said.

Both laughter and a smattering of applause greeted a suggestion that temperatures in school buildings get lowered because, according to the written question submitted to school officials, many students wear t-shirts to school so the buildings are apparently warm enough.

After a question on how people could suggest budget options, Ruggirello encouraged those present to use the district's website, either to email him or submit suggestions using a link is under the board of education tab.

Kristen Farmer, who has three children in school and a fourth in preschool, attended the meeting to find how how changes in the budget would affect class size and left without a clear answer.

"I heard tonight that nobody knows," she said. "We can't just cross our fingers and hope this goes away."

Part of the problem, Jackson said after the meeting, is that school officials must guess at what state budget figure are when planning for the year ahead. He said if the state had specific figures by March 1, school district officials could answer budget questions sooner.

The school board meets to discuss the budget and which elementary school will be closed on April 5 at the district office.