Les Cheneaux Community Schools Board of Education announced at a special budget hearing Monday, June 22, it has balanced the 2008/09 school year budget with a projected surplus of $131. The board attributes the balanced budget to expense cuts, staff reductions, donations from the Fund the Future campaign, and the recent availability of federal stimulus money.

Three months ago the board issued layoff notices to four teachers and six support staff, however, two of the teachers were recalled at the end of the school year, owing to the retirement of longtime English teacher Mike Lofdahl. Other staff reductions include the retirement of art and physical education teacher Mary Lindberg last December and central office secretary Beth Rye, who left the district's employ for a position with the Michigan Department of Human Services last March. Both positions have not been filled.

Other sources of revenue include a $45,000 donation from the Fund the Future campaign in May and $24,748 made available from the state through federal stimulus dollars Wednesday, June 17.

The preliminary budget for the 2009/10 school year has a surplus of $62,439, which will be saved and redistributed into the budget to help pay for carryover health care claims and expected unemployment costs from laid off employees.

The board will approve next year's budget at a special meeting Monday, June 29, at 7 p.m. in the school library.

A full story about the budget will appear in the next issue of The St. Ignace News.