Royal Oak School Board OKs Cuts, Honors Teachers

Thursday night's Royal Oak Board of Education meeting was a series of highs and lows as the board moved to eliminate several positions and a class as part of its budget cutting process and honor three of the district's best teachers.

Starting its budget cutting process for the next fiscal year, the board approved cuts including the elimination of the transportation director position, maintenance secretary, high school attendance secretary and student council as a class.

John Schwartz, Royal Oak Schools' executive director of business and personnel services, presented an updated budget scenario to board members and a sparse crowd Thursday night, showing Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget proposal combining a reduction in per-pupil funding and an increase in the retirement rate paid by public schools would cost the district near $4.5 million next year. Schwartz said the bulk of the recommended cuts and revenue enhancements would be presented during the April 14 board meeting.

Superintendent Thomas Moline said that when including other factors such as health care costs, reduced special education funding and declining enrollment the district is facing a near $5.5 million loss. Moline read a prepared statement stating some of the potential cuts coming forward in the next couple of months could include:

• increase in class size
• elimination of some athletic offerings
• elimination of all-day kindergarten
• increasing student participation fees in clubs, activities and athletics
• elimination of International Baccalaureate programs
• special education will be seriously affected
• career and technical education will be seriously affected
• students will not have access to current technology

Moline urged all district stakeholders to contact their state legislators about their concerns and ideas on an ongoing basis.

Royal Oak parent Susan Brumfield, whose daughter is a Royal Oak High School student council officer, asked board members if they would consider keeping the student council class for another year to give students time to make the transition from a class to a club. She did not want to see the class eliminated beginning the 2011-12 school year, saying kids need to have a reason to go to school other than just sitting in class.

School board Trustee Carrie Beerer said every time she sees these changes she feels like she has been kicked in the gut, but the district has to arrive at a balanced budget for the 2011-12 school year.

Outstanding teachers

Moline and board members honored three of the district’s outstanding teachers who have been nominated as teachers of the year:

• David Stafford, Oak Ridge Elementary School
• Danielle Masouris, Royal Oak Middle School
• Donna Knaus, Royal Oak High School

The teachers' nomination move on for county-level recognition.

International Baccalaureate program update

The board approved paying $4,500 to apply to add an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program and begin the near seven-year certification process.

Sarah Olson, Royal Oak Schools director of instructional services and staff development, and members of the IB steering committee explained the district’s strides in bringing the inquiry- and character-based curriculum into grades 6-10. The instructional training for the program is paid for by a Title II staff development federal grant, which Olson said she has already received for next year.

"This is a very rigorous research-based endeavor that we are beginning,” Olson said.

The district’s goal is to submit its candidacy application this year.