New Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has proposed yet another cut to school funding for the 2011-2012 school year. If Governor Snyder’s plan makes it through the state legislature, where it may face stiff opposition, schools would receive an extra $300 per pupil cut added to the already proposed $170 cut to funds. The districts chief finance officer, Collin Smith, says that the cut would cost the district more than $800,000. Due to this cut, there is a probability that another ER school could be closed.
Eaton Rapids Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Bill DeFrance has been instructed by the Board of Education to create a budget proposal based around closing a building in the school district and reconfiguring existing buildings. The building most liable to close is Northwestern Elementary, which would only leave Lockwood Elementary and possibly Greyhound Intermediate School to hold the new flood of students.
After considering the cut to the budget and increasing costs to the district, the expected budget gap is somewhere between $1.1 million and $1.9 million. But from the bad news comes a little bit of good. Technology and curriculum purchases will not be eliminated. No plans for privatizing operations will be made. Athletics and fine arts will not be eliminated. Busing will not be suspended or eliminated due to the amount of students that live in the country and have no way to get to school other than by bus. And good news for fans of swimming, the swimming pool will remain open.
When asked about what his thoughts were about the proposal, ERHS Principal David Johnson said that the proposed cuts can affect the school by forcing a cutting of staff, paying more for playing sports, and eliminating elective classes, such as band, choir, and visual arts.
Cuts like these would be detrimental to the student body; students wouldn’t be receiving education geared toward what they want to do in the future, but instead would receive a basic education. With the present economy, it could be hard for many students to get into a college to learn these things that are currently offered. Cuts to elective classes could possibly cause an uproar with the students and make more students want to find a different school to attend, which in turn would cause more economic problems for the school.
Mr. Johnson believes the government is not placing the value in education that they claim to be. He says, “The present economic climate has forced governments to critically evaluate how much money can be given to important programs. Unfortunately, education has become an area where the government is seeking to save money.”
