Archive: News

Now that the Lansing Board Of Education has approved a $22,838,912 budget for the 2008-2009 school year, Superintendent Stephen Grimm is taking it to the public to explain a budget that includes over $1 million of cuts and how it will impact the community, the schools, and the kids.  This week he reached out by speaking to local groups such as the Lansing Lions, and reaching out to newspapers including this publication, as well as mailing a copy of the budget to all district residents and holding a budget hearing at Lansing High School last night.  He hopes this outreach will convince the public to vote to pass the budget on May 20.

Thay may not be easy.  Even the well publicized budget hearing only drew a small handful of taxpayers last night.  At the end of it only one question was asked about after school programs being cut from the middle and high schools.  But Grimm explained the budget clearly, going over the cuts, the rise from last year's budget, plans he has for the future, and impacts on the schools and on taxpayers.

"When the school board gave me a range of 3.4% to 3.74 for the budget number, as we were constructing our budget I purposely wanted to make sure that we were under what the board had given me permission to have as a spending cap," he says.  "I wanted to make the point that we were going to be asking for what we need, and not for what we want or what people would be willing to give us.  I want that to be the mode of operation that we continue at all levels in the organization."

With cuts that eliminate many Junior Varsity teams, four teaching positions, five teacher aids, summer school for 4th and 5th graders, other staff positions, and more, the budget is 3.37% higher than last year's.  That includes making up 1.5% that was overspent this year, which really means that Grimm reduced the budget to less than a 2% rise. 

But the impact to tax payers will be a 4.53% increase in the tax levy.  $14,729,065 of the $22.8 million will be the responsibility of the taxpayers if they argree to it at the polls.  While the budget increase is the same as the rise in the Consumer Price Index, the levy -- the part that taxpayers must pony up -- is higher, amounting to $638,427 more than last year's levy.  With about a third of Lansing residents facing a rise in their assessment (beyond the 15% that brings all assessments from 85% of fair market value to 100%), that rise in the levy could be significant.


Grimm is painfully aware of the recent history of budgeting and spending in Lansing, despite the fact that he only began here in January after the budgetary process had been begun.  He says that last year's budget was unrealistically low, which may account for the overspending.  That budget was only $14,000 more than the previous year, despite contractual obligations requiring more than that.  Without cuts to personnel it was a recipe for disaster.  Yet the $300,000 that will be overspent this school year is less than half of the $713,657 overspent the previous year.

"If we had just gone with business as usual, let's just keep doing what we're doing, it would have been around another $1,300,000," Grimm says.  If we had not had those cuts it would have been two million dollars more, which would have been ridiculous."

Despite major cuts, there is some good news in this budget.  First and foremost, everyone seems happy with the level and quality of communication among stakeholder groups.  Grimm instituted an aggressive series of 'focus forums' to keep information and suggestions flowing in both directions.  He is effusive about the cooperation of Teacher's Union President Stacy Kropp, saying that the union has acted more as a partner than an adversary throughout the process.

The district is projected to get more state aid this year, $382,325, but is losing some federal aid and miscellaneous revenues.  And there is a possibility that state aid Lansing qualifies for this year won't be available next year as the numbers change.  In fact it doesn't necessarily mean we will get it this year.  "Even though we had more state aid promised, it doesn't mean we will get it," Grimm says.

Another bright spot at this point is that while retiring teachers will not be replaced, those who are left will not lose their jobs if this budget is passed.  The budget would have called for one layoff at the elementary level, but an increase in the anticipated Kindergarten population has meant adding a classroom, including a teacher and an aide.  While not all teachers may find themselves in the same position next year, there are enough positions for all the teachers.  "We're not going to eliminate any livelihood for anybody in terms of anybody losing their job as a teacher," Grimm says.  "It's like musical chairs.  There are enough chairs for teachers and teaching assistants to sit down now."

But keeping the teachers means taking a serious look at other areas.  Grimm says that school officials are reevaluating how academic intervention services (AIS) will be delivered in the future.  Instead of employing a full time teacher for that they are looking at ways existing general education teachers can provide the service.

There is room for these adjustments in the proposed budget.  Interim Business Administrator David Klemm left the district on April 15th.  But before he left he developed the budget conservatively to prevent overspending in the future, and allow for unforeseen events.  "If you were going on vacation you might say you are going to spend $2,000," Grimm explains.  "You have everything listed out exactly to the penny.  But if you get one blip and you only have $2,000 in your pocket you are in trouble.  So you want to make sure you brought $2,500."


Grimm says that just budgeting is not enough, and that approach is partially responsible for overspending in the past and current year.  "You have to implement and monitor this budget continuously throughout the year," he says.  "You must always know where are we now?  We know where we plan to be.  We have that committed number.  And we will not spend more than that."

The district has gone through business officials faster even than it has gone through superintendents.  Grimm says that long term planning is a piece of the budget process that has been missing because there hasn't been stability in Lansing's top administration for more than five years.  He says he already has about a half dozen applications that he began following up on this week.  Grimm hoped to set up interviews for next week so a permanent business official can be hired as soon as possible.  "I'm looking for someone with a high degree of character and experience in public education," he says.  "What about expertise with the numbers?  I'm looking for someone with certification in that area, but mainly I'm looking for quality character and a love for public education in Lansing.  That person will stay, but will also attack the job with a passion and make decisions that are trustworthy.  I think that is where we need to go."

Unlike last year, the contingency budget will be less than the one proposed for next year.  If voters don't pass the proposed budget, or an amended one in a second vote if the first one fails, the state imposes this figure on the district.

But a state mandated budget also brings mandates on how the money must be spent, which Grimm says would be very bad for the district.  If the budget doesn't pass on May 20th he will be forced to look at more cuts, but he says he will do so with input from the community, much the same way he developed the current budget.  "We would find other ways to reduce," he says.  "If people vote 'no' on the budget then we would take that very seriously and look at ways to reduce our budget even more.  I would ask the community 'What is it going to take to pass it?"

"The financial plan is really a representation of our educational program," Grimm says.  "So we really have to understand what our educational program is.  What are our needs, and try to map a financial plan on top of that.  That takes a long time.  It is clearly evident to me that we need to reduce the burden on our taxpayers, not only because of the specific local history of Lansing, but because of what is happening in the state and county now, the burden that people are getting from all directions.  As a public entity that is here because of our community we need to do what is in the best interest of the community.  That includes reducing our expenditures when it is needed.  And it is needed right now."

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