Taylor School deficit reduction plan

[km1125]

So, apparently, they're facing a $4-5 million budget deficit starting in July 2025, and deficit is (in part) due to COVID relief funds drying up.. Did they think those COVID funds were going to go on forever and just built those costs into their budget? How much more have they been spending than they should have been, given their NORMAL funding through the state?


Taylor school board’s money-saving plans include demolition, eliminating jobs
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/loc ... ne-county/
TAYLOR, Mich. – Significant changes and consolidations are coming to the Taylor School District.

On Wednesday, Jan. 10, the school board voted 6-1 to approve the plan that will ultimately close two district buildings and consolidate several schools in the process.

Superintendent Michael Wegher said the district is doing what it needs to save money as it faces a $4-5 million budget deficit starting in July 2025.

He said the deficit is in part due to COVID relief funds drying up.

“I know it’s not the way we want to do things, people don’t want change, but it’s also our duty to make sure we are providing what’s best for students and that we’re making sure the school district is stable going forward,” said Wegher.

The approved plan was tweaked over the last few days to accommodate concerns brought up by staff members and the public during a meeting Monday night.

During year one of the plan, starting in 2025, the following changes will be made:

Eureka Heights Elementary School will close, and its students will be sent to McDowell and Holland Elementary Schools
During year two of the plan, starting in 2026, the following changes will be made:

Hoover Middle School and West Middle School will consolidate using the West campus and be renamed Taylor Middle School.
Clarence Randall Elementary School will move to the old Hoover Middle School Building, keeping the Randall name.
The former Eureka Elementary School building will become the early childhood center.
Taylor Parks Elementary School will close, sending its students to the new Randall Elementary School and Blair Moody Elementary School.
Demolitions will also take place in year two of the plan, including the following:

Taylor Parks Elementary School.
The former Clarence Randall Elementary School building.
The few parents attending the meeting understood the changes being made, saying they were glad the district and board allowed them to be part of the input process.

“We feel heard, and it feels like they’re trying to do the right thing for the kids,” said Jennifer, a parent with kids in the district.

In addition to closing two buildings, the district plans to save money by eliminating jobs.

Wegher said the district has no plans for layoffs but instead plans to eliminate jobs by not filling future positions that open due to retirements.

[TC Talks]

Isn't Taylor home to a pack of inbred booger eating morons? They don't need schools, they have ignorance and bigotry to get them through life.

[Round Six]

There's something flawed here.
If I read this right, they were using covid relief funds as operating expenses. Money meant for one thing was being used for something else.

[km1125]

There's something flawed here.
If I read this right, they were using covid relief funds as operating expenses. Money meant for one thing was being used for something else.

Probably not a lot different in other districts or cities (or counties, or townships or STATES). All we'll be hearing for the next few years is "WE NEED MORE (of your) MONEY!!!""

[TC Talks]

There's something flawed here.
If I read this right, they were using covid relief funds as operating expenses. Money meant for one thing was being used for something else.

Operations can only be paid for via state per pupil payments. The state (thanks to Republicans) have not raised the per pupil rate for many districts. As children decline in certain communities, consolidation must happen to operate.

Taylor voters approved a 3.64 mills renewal in 2021. They have ample money for buildings, but likely not enough for staffing, thus, consolidating schools.

[radiofann]

Page 3 of the report here show history of per pupil foundation allowance

https://www.house.mi.gov/hfa/PDF/Alpha/ ... an2023.pdf

Districts were told and knew not to build the COVID/ESSR funds into a structurally permanent part of budget. Those that did not take that advice suddenly find a structural deficit.

Same thing for state budget. It appears whitmer spent $9B of the rainy day fund. She might have built federal COVID funds into the overall state budget, we will see if projected revenues keep up with projected spending.

[TC Talks]

We are in way better shape than during the Snyder era.

[km1125]

We are in way better shape than during the Snyder era.

Yea, it took quite a while to recover from the Granholm mess where she "blew us all away"!

[TC Talks]

We are in way better shape than during the Snyder era.

Yea, it took quite a while to recover from the Granholm mess where she "blew us all away"!

Granhilm didn't have a wholesale gutting of school funding.

[radiofann]

We are in way better shape than during the Snyder era.

Yea, it took quite a while to recover from the Granholm mess where she "blew us all away"!

Granhilm didn't have a wholesale gutting of school funding.

I’m not sure where TC Talks resides, but from a quick check back in my records, my taxable value of my home in SE michigan dropped starting about 2008, middle of granholm 2nd term. It continued to drop precipitously, something like 30%+ thru 2014 and had a long slow recovery after that. Snyder and the state can only craft budgets and pay state employees and teachers from taxable values and state sales and income taxes. All plummeted in Michigan starting in 2009-2010 as state unemployment skyrocketed and a slightly delayed reaction to the Great Recession nationally that started at the end of 2008.

To call this ‘Snyder gutting education” is misleading. The state constitution has a balanced budget requirement, you can’t pay what you don’t have.

Michigan never had the real estate bubble other parts of the country had. But we had a rise and fall in taxable values nonetheless, and our state economy was and still is manufacturing auto based, which suffered severely during recession of 2008-2014

[radiofann]

In looking at the link pg 3-4, I see a per pupil allowance of 8489 beginning of Snyder’s term, and 8409 at the end. At the middle, it dipped 5% but recovered much of the gap to be 8409 at the end of his time.

Given state taxable values of real estate dropped 30% , I’d say state per pupil foundation stood up pretty well.
In addition, Snyder and the michigan legislature were praised nationally for shoring up and reforming Michigan’s shaky teacher pension system in 2016 or so.



https://www.house.mi.gov/hfa/PDF/Alpha/ ... an2023.pdf

[TC Talks]

I don't think the stats agree with you...

The state is running a surplus due to property values.

[radiofann]

Some of that rise is inflationary. Our tax base will rise due to your chart. I’m all for success in our state, it has natural resources and great attractions and opportunities. Traverse city, the west side of the state, thumb area, the UP all have great beauty , peace and quiet, and shorelines and things to do. Our states population has remained flat, at 10 million, for years. I wonder if we did get more people would overcrowding take away from our natural resources. But From here the future looks bright for what we have budget-wise but we all know recessions happen and every governor of the last several decades has promised to diversify our economy so as not to be as auto-centric. I’ve not seen major progress.

If you could rewind your chart to the year 2000, it would help to illustrate the false logic of the earlier statement “Snyder gutted education”. The national and state recession gutted our state budget. This michigan senate link (property tax collections column) shows the taxes collected on the taxable value of Michigan’s real estate was 14.1B in 2008, sinking to $12.7B middle of Snyder’s term, then recovering to $14.6B at the end of his term. I’m pretty sure a plot of sales taxes, excise taxes and state income taxes would show a similar drop then slow recovery. From what I’ve seen Snyder worked with what the states economy provided to him and the legislature. Just like anyone would have to deal with their household budget.

https://www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa/Rev ... Values.PDF