State Representative Gary McDowell visited Les Cheneaux Community Schools at Cedarville to speak to concerned people in the district about school funding Monday, January 19. Pictured (from left) are Kate TerHaar, school board president, Rod Goehmann, district superintendent, Lisa Dunn of the Fund the Future campaign and a new school board member, Principal Amy Scott, and Mr. McDowell. (Photograph by Tom Coyne, UP Photo) State Representative Gary McDowell spoke to a crowd of about 40 before the Les Cheneaux Community Schools Board of Education meeting Monday, January 19, regarding the district's projected revenue deficit. He fielded questions from the audience about what can be done in Lansing to help the Les Cheneaux district as well as other rural districts around Michigan with similar problems.

A recent bill passed by the Michigan House of Representatives in the last session, but not the senate, he said, was designed to allow school districts to ask voters for a sinking fund millage tailored to fit their specific needs. The millage could not be used for payroll.

A major opponent to the bill was the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, he said, which views the bill as the first step to raising property taxes.

Rep. McDowell expects the bill to be reintroduced sometime this year with additional language to help it pass in the Senate. He thinks the bill has the necessary support in the House.

Proposal A, a school funding initiative, limited the options for raising additional money locally for school operations.

"I think that would be very, very important to a community like this to come up with the money to help educate your children," he said. "I think that if a community like Les Cheneaux wants to do that, to get funding to the school for the longterm, they should be given that opportunity."

He suggested writing to legislators to encourage passage of the bill when it is reintroduced, in response to a question from resident Lisa Dunn, who is involved with other citizens to raise money for the school.

"There's nothing like the voice of the people," he said. "E-mails, writing, talking, and explaining that this is what we want, as a community, to have this opportunity. You have to start somewhere, and a community group like this could do that."

Superintendent Rod Goehmann asked if a state-endorsed healthcare program could be implemented to cover school district employees.

Rep. McDowell said such a program would only act as a short-term fix for school districts and would likely raise healthcare costs for the public. He said a federal-endorsed healthcare system is the direction the U.S. needs to be headed.

"I, for one, believe very, very strongly that we need universal healthcare," he said. "We pay way too much for healthcare."

The Les Cheneaux school district may be forced to change its employee health insurance because of a decreased number of employees. It would have to revert back to a premium program, which it cannot afford, owing to the district's projected revenue deficit.

Rep. McDowell said he was impressed at how the community has rallied together to raise funds to support the school district.

"It's great to see a community that's being proactive, stepping forward, and trying to change things that aren't working right now," he said.

He was asked to speak before the meeting as a part of the second phase of the "Fund the Future" campaign, a citizen initiative which seeks to erase the school's revenue deficit and increase student enrollment. The campaign has raised about $16,000 so far to counter the projected $99,000 revenue deficit.

The board of education voted to appoint Lisa Dunn as interim trustee to complete Dan Burrows' four-year term, which ends June 30.

"I think she'd do a great job," said trustee Marianne Coyne. "She's been working hard to raise money for the school and comes to our board meetings."

Mr. Burrows, who served on the board of education since July 1989, resigned from the board December 31 for personal reasons.

Petitions for school board candidates are due Tuesday, February 10, to be included on the ballot in the annual school election Tuesday, May 5. Also on the ballot will be renewal of the district's 18 mills for operation. That is levied against non-homestead properties, such as second homes, hunting camps, and commercial properties.