Gros Cap Approves New Budget, Awards Building Contracts
By Paul Gingras

The Moran Township Board of Education approved its projected 2007/2008 spending plan, voted to levy 16.8734 mills to run the school and 1.75 mills to improve the building, and hired an engineer to oversee building projects at its Monday, June 18, meeting. Action followed a budget hearing.

Gros Cap School expects to enroll about 95 students next year, one more than last year.

For 2007/2008, the school anticipates $1,035,226 in revenue and expects to spend $1,025,095, leaving a balance of $10,131. With the surplus, the school's fund balance will grow to $287,911.

The district has budgeted to repay $48,000 to Wisconsinbased American Transmission Lines, but Superintendent Bill Peltier said the expense will not disrupt school operations or affect programs. The company alleges that Moran Township overtaxed the company on its pipelines and substations from 2002 through 2006. Gros Cap received the bulk of the tax revenue.

The board accepted a $6,439 bid for asbestos removal by Trust Thermal Abatement and Flooring of DeWitt. Asbestos removal will take place this summer.

Mackinac Environmental Technology of St. Ignace assessed the project and solicited bids ranging from $6,439 to $9,956.

This year, the sinking fund millage will generate approximately $140,711, and the district plans to spend the same amount on building improvements.

The board hired Gary Nitz of St. Ignace-based G.D. Nitz Associates to serve as project engineer. He will plan and oversee the use of the school's building and site fund, also known as the sinking fund. By law, if a building project exceeds $15,000, an engineer must be hired for this purpose, Mr. Peltier said.

Projects will include removing several old heating oil tanks and replacing them with one or two modern propane tanks, replacing flooring, and doing tile and electrical work, said School Board President Janice O'Boyle.

Not all of Gros Cap's improvement projects can be done this year, Mr. Peltier said.

The district has received its 2006/2007 school report card from the state, which assesses grades three through eight. Overall, the district earned a B.

The grade was determined by combining the results of a stateguided assessment, which Gros Cap's staff conducted, and students' scores on standardized tests for language arts and mathematics. Since the school is a kindergarten through eighth grade facility, the assessment does not cover science and social studies. State tests for these subjects are given at the high school level.

In language arts, the school received a C. In mathematics, it received a B.

Gros Cap received an A in "school performance," which Mrs. O'Boyle said is an assessment of how well the district is implementing plans to achieve federal standards. The school provides teacher training sessions, many of which are coordinated by the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District, and met a federal standard called Academic Yearly Progress, a set of criteria designed to push schools to increase student aptitude in language arts and mathematics.

The report card reveals that the school will need to push harder in language arts, Mrs. O'Boyle said. She expects this to be the first topic of discussion at the next teacher training session.