With poll: Reaction mixed to schools of choice proposal to help Ann Arbor district raise revenue

Facing between a $17.5 million and $19.1 million budget deficit by the 2010-11 school year, district officials have taken their budget proposals on the road, presenting them at schools across the district. 

Tonight’s forum, held at Pioneer High School, attracted the largest crowd with about 250 people. About 120 people have attended the previous forums, said Superintendent Todd Roberts.

Todd Roberts and Robert Allen talk during an earlier budget forum.

While Roberts spent most of the forum outlining potential cuts, he said the district has only a couple of ways to increase revenue. One is through the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation. The other is through schools of choice.

As the district struggles to identify cuts, the option of limited schools of choice is being considered as a way to generate a projected $1 million-plus annually in revenue. Some 150 schools of choice seats could be opened - 50 kindergarten or first grade seats, 50 sixth grade seats and 50 seats at the alternative high school at Stone School or Roberto Clemente School.

It would be offered only at schools that are below capacity and wouldn't increase costs, Roberts said. He did not identify the schools that might accept out-of-district students, but said the district’s capacity for more students exceeds 150. 

“It would be a starting point,” he said. 

If demand exceeded the 150 slots, a lottery would be held, Roberts said. Schools of choice students would have to provide their own transportation.

After the forum, attendee Dave Flesher said he liked the idea of raising more revenue, but wanted to make sure schools of choice wouldn't also raise costs. 

“Teachers will tell you in every class there are two kids who take up 80 percent of a teacher’s time. Bad kids require more resources, and I just would want to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he said. 

Michele Macke said she wanted to make sure schools of choice students wouldn't mean larger class sizes. And Richard Miller said he favored the idea - as long as it didn’t push classroom sizes over their contractual limit.

While Tom Wesoloski, a bus driver for the district, said he favored whatever is needed to help make the district stronger, he wondered whether taking students from other districts was the right thing to do. He questioned whether schools of choice wouldn't just shift the problem from one district to another. 

“There’s only a limited number of students in the geographic area,” he said. “If (accepting schools of choice students) makes one district stronger but another one weaker, I’m not for that.”

Schools of choice allows students from within a county or contiguous intermediate school district to attend another school district if it becomes schools of choice. State funding follows each student to the district he or she attends.

For years, the Ypsilanti and Willow Run school districts have taken students from other Washtenaw County school districts. Lincoln, Manchester, Milan and Whitmore Lake followed, while Saline schools has offered limited schools of choice. 

Ann Arbor has offered limited schools of choice at its alternative high school program at Stone School, said Gerri Allen, spokeswoman for the Washtenaw Intermediate School District. The Dexter and Chelsea school districts don't offer schools of choice.

Administrators have collected comments from the four forums and are expected to present the school board with their recommendations sometime in March. 

By April, the district will begin to work on a longer term plan that looks at school building configuration and the number of facilities the district supports, Roberts said.  

Other possible cuts that have been outlined at the budget forums:

• $5 million: Reduce salary and health care costs of employees. This requires opening up labor contracts, along with union approval.
• $2.5 million: Reduce custodial and maintenance costs, possibly privatizing them.
• $1.5 million: Transportation cost reductions, including expanding walk zones, combining middle and high school bus routes and replacing the district shuttles that transport students between the comprehensive high schools and Community High School with Ann Arbor Transportation Authority vouchers. 
• $960,000: Cut the equivalent of 12 full-time teachers through efficiencies and higher student-to-teacher ratios. 
• $900,000: An across-the-board cut in discretionary budgets for things such as supplies and materials.