By Pat Maurer
Correspondent
Following a hard look at the needed budget cuts during the Finance Committee Meeting January 15th, Committee members John Pakledinaz, Kellee Robinson and John Gross began the discussion about hard choices and budget cuts that have to be made, discussed the financial overview and heard from audience members with money saving suggestions.
To explain, At the December regular meeting, the 2024-2025 budget was amended after Shay Anderson from the Clare Gladwin Regional Education School District presented an amended budg-et and reported problems with the present one. According to the unofficial minutes, Shay reported that, “Farwell was flagged for spending more than…was approved.” Also, the audit was delayed.
Reportedly Jacob Sullivan was pulled from a different department to assist with looking at the district’s accounts. The work continued through the end of September into early October. One finding was that the district’s fund balance, reported earlier at well over 20 percent, was below the five per-cent fund balance in the corrected budget (prompting a letter from the State that it (the fund bal-ance) is below the required fund balance threshold).
At the December meeting, Anderson said there is “a lot of work that needs to be done, with the negative that “this came out half way through the school year.” Spending unused grant money needs to be determined (done) correctly,” he said.
Anderson reported that “some of these things (findings) “should have been noted by your auditor. They may have been discovered sooner if the district hadn’t been getting ESSER money.”
The BOE immediately began working on the budget shortfalls.
Recommendations from the committee members, determined at the Finance Committee meeting on January 15 included;
A recommendation to move $147,728.00 of allowable expenses to the sinking fund;
Cutting $62,326.40 from the current budget including cutting the assistant tech position,
Eliminating one way busing for sports,
Stopping overbilling for SPARKS by Auxilio, and
Cutting CTE busing on half days for the total savings of $62,326,40.
The Committee also recommended a special board meeting with all members on January 20.
Audience comments included:
Laura Pfieffleman (FEA Co-President) “When you are looking to make cuts, I know there are teachers who are planning on retiring at the end of the year.
Theresa Stansberry: Cutting Timberland “Wouldn’t this cut or affect Title funding? Where would we put those students?”
“The $1.9 million was meant to be our goal if it was a hard cut,” she added.
After listening to comments and suggestions, committee members thanked everyone for their in-put, and asked them to share their ideas with us “that can save on expenses.”
Kellee Robinson said she was glad to see that “so many want to come and hear what we have to say. Any ideas, please share them,” she said. “What we have recommended to cut today, I think we have made some great progress.”
At the Special Meeting on January 20th, the BOE meeting include the layoff of four employees: Jodi Hicks as FES RTC/Choice Room Position; Joan Saupe as FMS RTC Staff/Choice Room Posi-tion; Jessica Gauthier as RTC Staff/Choice Room Position; and Riley Olson as FHS Dean of Stu-dents.
Each of the four were re-hired to at-risk positions; Hicks as Student Support Specialist; Saupe as Student Support Specialist; Gauthier as Student Support Specialist, and Riley Olson as High School Student & Family Liaison.
All the Finance Committee recommendations were approved at the Special Meeting: moving 147,728 of allowable expenses from the General Fund to the Sinking Fund; approval of $62,326.40 in cuts from the current budget by: Cutting the Assistant Tech Position, Starting one way bussing for sports for under 45 miles (saving 1,400; Overbilling by Auxilio for Sparks transportation; stopping transportation of CTE bussing on half days.
Olson needs to be gone anyway. There is no reason to have a dean of students when there is a bunch of other staff that can handle students such as a principal. Crazy thought?