Education Forum Asks What More Trenton Can Do

"What more can we do?"

This was the underlying question throughout the Downriver Education Forum held at Southgate Anderson High School Thursday evening.

About 200 people attended the forum where public school employees and state officials talked about the ways in which Gov. would affect public schools.

, superintendent of , said he was pleased with the forum, even if it may not be enough to make an impact on this year's budget.

"If we aren't successful this time we will keep working on it for next year," Savel said. "What the state is talking about doing with education is wrong."

John Sturock, superintendent of Allen Park Public Schools, gave a presentation  filled with examples of how each district would be affected by the budget.

The governor's plan would cut a total of about $475 from each district’s annual per-pupil funding. The reduction consists of a $175 cut that continued from last year and Snyder's proposal for an additional $300 cut.

The Michigan House of Representatives . The Senate also approved its version, and now  the budget must be reconciled between the chambers' differing versions of the bill. The House reduced the cut to about $440, and the Senate has it down to about $340.

In Trenton, per-pupil cuts mean a loss of about $1.3 million to the district annually.

But districts also face increasing retirement costs at the same time. So the 13 Downriver districts represented at the forum stand to have a collective budget loss of about $33.9 million. Trenton stands to lose about $1.9 million.

The governor's cuts, added to retirement costs, make up a total of a $700 reduction in per-student funding annually.

Ongoing Battle

Sturock also pointed out that schools have made dramatic reductions in spending in the last three years.

“The media is painting this picture that schools have just been standing still and all of a sudden they face this budget crisis, but this budget crisis has been an ongoing thing over the past several years,” Sturock said.

In total, districts have cut about $37 million out of their budgets from the 2008-09 school year to the 2010-11 school year. Trenton has reduced costs by about $3.4 million over three years.

The projected cuts in 2011-12 are about $4 million for Trenton and about $47.6 million for all of Downriver.

Sturock also gave a list of examples of reductions made over the last three years. Some items included reduction of teaching staff, increased class sizes, use of third-party contracts and reduced transportation. The is similar to the list.

Kathy Merry, executive director of legislative affairs for Wayne County RESA, was the forum moderator and also spoke out against the cuts to education.

Merry said the major problem with Snyder’s budget is the money being taken out of the School Aid Fund, normally reserved for K-12.

“The school aid pot is being robbed and raided,” she said. The state is giving the money to the community colleges and the universities, she added.

“If the governor did not put the budgets of the universities and community colleges in our school aid fund we actually would be pretty OK,” Merry said.

What More Can We Do?

Merry asked each Michigan official that attended the event the same question. “What more can we do?”

Four Michigan legislators attended the forum and echoed Merry’s sentiment regarding Snyder’s budget. Senator Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-Taylor) and Representatives Andrew Kandrevas (D-Southgate), Douglas Geiss (D-Taylor) and Patrick Somerville (R-Huron Twp.) attended.

Each had an opportunity to speak and each was opposed to cutting K-12 education funds. None of the legislators who attended voted in favor of the proposed budget.

Kandrevas represents the 13th district, which includes Trenton.

Although it’s likely too late to make a difference in this year’s budget cycle, people should be aware that they can always change the budget for next year, he said.

“To do this budget I believe is harmful,” Kandrevas said. “To compound this over the next three, four, five years—I don’t know how you come back from that as an education system.”

Kandrevas answered Merry’s question, as did the other legislators at the forum, by making a plea to residents to contact their neighbors and get them to contact their local legislators to tell them about their concerns. He added legislators do feel the weight of e-mails, phone calls and letters and people can make a difference.

Other Voices

Senator Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton Twp.) represents the 7th district, which includes Trenton. Colbeck did not attend the forum due to scheduling conflicts.

In an interview with Colbeck, he said he voted against the transfer of money to community colleges, but not to higher education.

“The broader issue is a need for structural reform of our education system that accounts for every taxpayer dollar and addresses all of our students’ academic needs from preschool through higher education,” Colbeck said.

All 13 Downriver public school districts were represented at the forum: Allen Park, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Huron, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, Riverview, Southgate, Taylor, Trenton, Woodhaven and Wyandotte. The districts serve more than 42,000 students. Trenton’s enrollment is about 2,700 students.

The Michigan House of Representatives . The Senate also approved its version and now  the budget must be reconciled between the chambers' differing versions of the bill. Snyder proposed a $470 cut in per-pupil spending, which the House has lowered to about $440. The Senate GOP’s cut is $340.

To contact local Michigan legislators that represent Trenton, visit www.senate.mi.gov and 013.housedems.com.