Loss of 28 Students To Slash Les Cheneaux School’s Bottom Line
Drop of 10 Students Had Been Expected; Budget Cuts May Be Inevitable Next Year

Les Cheneaux Community Schools may take another financial hit if enrollment predictions for 2005-2006 come true. Superintendent Rod Goehmann gave a dismal report on next year's anticipated enrollment at the Board of Education meeting Wednesday, April 21. The district is expected to enroll 26 fewer students than anticipated next year, dropping enrollment from 412 to 386 and costing the district nearly $80,000 in state aid.

The full financial impact of the loss will not be felt next year owing to Michigan's declining enrollment policy that allows certain districts to average student enrollment over three years. Districts qualify for the relief when they have experienced declining enrollment over a number of years. While the districts still lose revenue, the funding system softens the fiscal blow when enrollment drops by many students. Les Cheneaux, for instance, is expected to lose the revenue from only 11 students next year, rather than the full 26. Even at 11, however, the district stands to lose nearly $80,000 in state aid. The district's per-pupil foundation allowance is $7,140.

Mr. Goehmann was hesitant to predict spending cuts at this time because there are too many unknown factors. Governor Jennifer Granholm has proposed giving schools an additional $175 per student for 2005-2006, which would increase Les Cheneaux’s foundation allowance to $7,315. The district could also enroll more students over the summer or during next school year.

"All we can do at this point is make projections," Mr. Goehmann said.

His figures were based on enrollment projections used by the board to determine next year's budget.

"We have been planning an enrollment drop of about 10 students, based on the differential between graduating high school seniors and incoming kindergarteners," Mr. Goehmann said.

The school did not expect, however, that four of the 24 anticipated kindergarten students will no longer enter kindergarten next year; nor did it anticipate another 12 students moving away or leaving the district. Les Cheneaux Elementary did enroll two more students last week, which helps, Mr. Goehmann said.

Principal Reports

Elementary Principal Eric Cardwell said student-led conferences in early April were well attended, with 97.6 percent of parents participating. Of the 167 conferences scheduled, parents participated in 163.

"I'm very proud of the attendance rate," he added. "That's outstanding!"

A relatively new concept at Les Cheneaux, student-led conferences give students the opportunity to discuss progress, classroom work, and grades with parents or guardians. Students usually show samples of their work, and teachers add comments and recommendations. Conferences are approximately 20 minutes for each student, however, some lasted 45 minutes to more than an hour, Mr. Cardwell said.

He toured classrooms during conferences and noted that many of the classrooms are now using Power Point presentations to illustrate classroom activities and lessons to parents, giving them a glimpse into daily school life.

The Elementary School applied for a grant from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians to continue extending after-school Homework Laboratory and a part-time child advocate position. Since there is no longer a full time child advocate, Mr. Cardwell applied for and was awarded approximately $7,000 from the tribe to provide some salary for a part-time advocate. The school expects to find out whether it obtained a second grant in May or June.

High School Principal Randy Schaedig reported an approximate 90 percent participation in student led conferences.

"Other districts are coming to our school to see how it works," he said, noting that St. Ignace visited last year during conferences and DeTour's high school principal observed this year.

Consolidated Community Schools Services Coordinator Kate Ter Haar said five students will be graduated from the Alternative Community Education School in Cedarville. The school is managed by CCSS and taught by Jim Patrick of Cedarville. The students will get diplomas, along with other local CCSS general education students Thursday, May 26, at a ceremony at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Alternative School administered Michigan Education Assessment Program tests to its students for the first time this year, and Mrs. Ter Haar said the students took the tests more seriously than staff expected.

"I think they felt that all students have to take these, and they thought, 'I'm a student,' so they did," she said.

The CCSS-sponsored Sixth Grade Camp will be Thursday, May 5, and Friday, May 6, at Northwoods Christian Camp in Pickford. The camp brings more than 130 students from the Les Cheneaux, Pickford, Brimley, and Whitefish Township school districts to the camp, where they learn outdoor activities and lessons from local teachers and student volunteers. Cedarville High School will send six student counselors: Elliot Nelson, Ryan Smith, John Haske, Leah Brant, Jill Haske, and Kate Smith.

Athletic Scheduling

Trustees voted 5-2 to approve the 2005-2006 athletic schedule, which would have met a requirement that girls volleyball be played in the fall and girls basketball be played in the winter, to coincide with the boys sports. President Dan Burrows and trustee Dave Murray voted against the motion because the schedule conflicts with church youth activities held Wednesday nights. A U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday, May 5, however, sent a lawsuit challenging the switch back to the court of appeals and, thus, postponed any schedule changes for another year.

The action approved by the board stipulated that next year's schedule "utilize Wednesday nights as needed if the girls’ basketball and boys’ basketball seasons merge." If the basketball seasons are not simultaneous, Mr. Duncan said he would revert to a "completely different schedule" that does not put games on Wednesday nights.

Les Cheneaux Preschool

Les Cheneaux Preschool will continue to use a classroom in the Elementary School, as it has in the past. Trustees also approved the school's request to use the cafeteria and Old Gymnasium Saturday, November 26, to hold its annual Christmas Bazaar.

The preschool is able to introduce its students to the larger school environment, making the transition from preschool a little smoother.

Mr. Goehmann strongly recommended the board approve the use of the classroom, and noted that the preschool board makes at least one donation to the school as a gesture of gratitude. The school recently donated $200 to the school, which most likely will be spent on the next phase of the playground project, Mr. Cardwell said.

Sinking Fund Projects for 2005-2006

Trustees allocated $35,000 for playground equipment, $20,000 for athletic field improvements, and $20,000 toward the "Hossack property" payment for 2005-2006. The allocations were made for projects previously approved in the district's five-year facilities improvement plan. District voters approved a .5-mill Sinking Fund levy in 2003 that generates approximately $72,500 to $75,000 a year for projects in that improvement plan.

Since the millage was approved, trustees bought the Hossack property at the southeast corner of the school's property to expand its athletic field, built steps and a cement ramp for easier access to the school, improved the track area and resurfaced the track, planted or installed ground cover, improved the Old Gymnasium stage, and installed parking bumpers and fencing.

Over the next year, the district plans to complete the new playground by installing the second phase of equipment. Other projects planned are moving the fence line, possibly installing a sprinkler system, and moving an existing tennis court east, to make room for a ball diamond that will be built at the southwest corner of the athletic field.

Mr. Duncan said the proposed ball diamond is for recreation only, particularly for CCSS summer ball leagues.

During the public comments, Susie Rutledge, who was seated in the audience, reminded the board the athletic field was originally donated to the school by Alvin Hossack for a baseball field.

"I know many people from (Mr. Hossack's) generation were pretty upset since it's not being used for that, and I wonder if you might want to now honor that commitment by making it a real baseball field," she said.

Mr. Duncan agreed that the original field lights were baseball lights, but were eventually cut down to light the football field. He said, however, the field seems best suited now for multiple purpose use. The athletic field includes a football field, basketball court, tennis court, playground area, and a sledding hill in the winter.

Mr. Duncan thinks a regulation baseball field would interfere with the school's ability to use it for softball, since the fields must be different sizes. The ball field they are proposing will accommodate different kinds of sports.

With the growing interest in varsity-level baseball and softball at Les Cheneaux and Pickford, Mr. Goehmann said at some point the district might consider a regulation-size field. Cedarville and Pickford started a cooperative boys’ baseball team last year, and this year formed a girls’ softball team with 10 girls from Cedarville.