Les Cheneaux Schools Reject Teacher Lay-offs
By Amy Polk

"I'm sick and tired of hearing about districts where teachers are getting laid off. I want to do something different," said Dan Burrows, issuing a challenge to the Les Cheneaux Community Schools Board of Education and the audience at a Monday, April 16 meeting.

"It's simple. It's easy," the board president said of a decision to consider teacher salaries in the next round of budget cuts. "Those teachers are way more important than a few dollars. I want to see what else we can do."

As the school board figures out how to fill a $171,000 hole projected in next year's school budget, Mr. Burrows said he wants to spare teachers' jobs, even if it means borrowing money to cover their salaries. He suggested administrators and the board's budget committee go back to the drawing board and find what else can be cut from the district's expenses.

The board voted 6-1 to remove teacher salaries from the list of potential cuts trustees will consider before adopting the budget in June. Trustee Carl McIntire voted against Marianne Coyne's motion. He thinks teacher salaries should be included "in the mix" as long as the board is considering other staff cuts. Even if the district borrowed money to cover the projected deficit, the money would eventually have to be paid back, he said.

"I might be the most hated person in school after this, and I certainly value our teachers, but I think they should be in there, too," Mr. McIntire said. "I don't know how we can juggle that big of a deficit."

Superintendent Rod Goehmann said that if it wants to consider teacher salaries in its next round of budget cuts, it needs to decide at this meeting so the district will have ample time to meet the notification period mandated by the contract. The contract between staff and the school district requires that teachers get 60 days written notice of a layoff if the layoff is "due to decreased student enrollment or shortage of revenue."

For the same reason, the Cheboygan School District voted Monday to lay off seven teachers and accepted the resignations of two others, citing declining elementary school enrollment that will eventually creep into the middle school and high school.

Eliminating the positions of two teachers at Cedarville will save the district $92,133 in salaries and benefits, Mr. Goehmann said. He said teachers Carrie Carr and Ryan Wilson would be most vulnerable to possible layoffs because they have the least seniority. Throughout the emotionally charged meeting, trustees referred to the teachers by name, and called them friends, part of the school's foundation, members of the school's family, and teachers of America's future.

Mr. Burrows asked trustees to offer their thoughts on the matter. Each publicly declared their support for the teaching staff, although a couple voiced concern about how the district will otherwise trim costs.

"It's tough," said Dave Murray, "certainly from a parent's perspective, to see the kinds of teachers we would lose," but also said he is concerned that voting to save teacher salaries opens the door to cutting salaries of other school employees. Trustee Tony Hakola said the district "should save teachers at all costs." Trustee John Causley said he thinks the district has not yet exhausted all resources before resorting to teacher layoffs.

"We aren't pleased in any way, shape, or form with having to put this before you tonight, but the contractual obligations mean we have to consider it," Mr. Goehmann said.

He added that voting Monday night on a motion to eliminate teaching salaries from cuts is only to satisfy contractual obligations, and does not make teachers immune to future layoffs. Nor does it target other school employees for layoffs.

"At some point, there's going to have to be some painful decisions made," High School Principal Randy Schaedig said.

He said legislators in Lansing are not hearing enough complaints from the public about how schools are funded. Mr. Goehmann reported that Michigan public schools will soon be notified of a $90 to $125 reduction in their per-pupil foundation allowance. He is expecting the letter by May 1, and called the reduction "idiotic and asinine" because it comes when most Michigan schools have already spent the money.

Without the foundation allowance reduction, Les Cheneaux Community Schools is now projecting a $143,093 deficit in the 2006-2007 budget, compounded by the fact that its $92,000 sale of a rental house fell through. The house will now be listed with a real estate agent or refinanced, pending legal counsel on the district's options.

Next year's projected $171,000 budget deficit for the 2007-2008 school year also does not include the foundation allowance reduction. Mr. Goehmann said the way Michigan pays for public education is not the district's only problem. Les Cheneaux's student enrollment is projected to drop by 23 students, from 371 this fall to 348 next fall. Enrollment in February was 359. Since school funding is tied to enrollment, the district has suffered declining revenue as student numbers have dropped over the years. Les Cheneaux now receives $7,525 per pupil.

Mr. Goehmann noted the 2007- 2008 projection also comes before next year's staff contracts are signed. One teacher will retire at the end of this school year, and, to save money, the district will not fill the position. Another teacher is pondering retirement, but Mr. Goehmann said it is too early to consider that teacher's salary in the list of possible reductions for next year. That would certainly help reduce the deficit, Mr. Goehmann said, and so would a new area-wide special education millage to be decided May 8. If Eastern Upper Peninsula voters elect to be taxed for special education, it would give the Les Cheneaux district $59,302 to work with next year, he added. That amount might vary over the three-year term of the millage, however, because it depends on the number of special education students and the types of services the district provides.

Clark O'Brien, a school maintenance worker, suggested Clark Township work on bringing more jobs and business to the community to attract workers, and more families with children to the area to help build enrollment. Industrial arts teacher Gary Wellnitz joined Mr. Schaedig in suggesting more people voice complaints about school funding to lawmakers. Elementary Principal Eric Cardwell complained that state law, under Proposal A, prohibits local school districts from asking for additional millage, which is why the special education millage is being sought by the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District.

"The most frustrating thing here is that no matter what we want to do as a community, our hands are tied by Lansing," he added.

School counselor Pat Feldhake suggested fundraising events to supplement revenue.

"If we need to go out there and fund-raise or borrow the money, then we need to," Mr. Burrows said. "We care about our kids and we need to protect this school and their education."