Dearborn School Leaders Eye Massive Job Cuts
Faced with the task of reducing expenses by $12 million for the 2009/10 school year, Dearborn school officials are considering cutting as many as 250 staff jobs, reducing salaries or a combination of both, according to School Supt. Brian J. Whiston.
The rush by the district to reduce expenses is caused by the most recent cuts from the state at the hands of Gov. Granholm who vetoed money the Dearborn district receives under section 20j of the school aid fund. Section 20j was created in 1999 to ensure equal funding increases to all school districts. The loss of 20j money will cost our school district $5 million. For an earlier story, click HERE.
As of October 26, Dearborn is looking at reducing the district’s expenses by $12 million from the current budget ($655 per student), which is above and beyond the $10.2 million already cut from the 2009/10 budget back in June.
“This loss of funding from the state, made when we are already a quarter way through the fiscal year, has caused an extreme financial crisis in our district,” Whiston said in a letter to the district.
“We must have a balanced budget plan in place by December 1 that addresses these most recent funding reductions from the state. The longer we wait to make cuts, the more cuts we will need to make. For example, cutting a person that cost $50,000 at the beginning of the year will only save $37,500 right now, one quarter of the way into the year. The same can be said when looking at cutting other expenses.”
Whiston and his administrative team are working on a plan that they will present to the school board on Nov. 9.
“This is not an easy task and will most definitely impact all staff members in the district,” Whiston said. “We are reviewing options that would include as many as 250 staff reductions, a reduction in compensation, or a combination of both.”
Whiston said a group of community and staff members were in Lansing this week to talk with state legislators to try and convince them that they need to work to restore school funding. “We will also be reminding lawmakers in Lansing that Dearborn is a donor district and sends $14 million more dollars to the state than the district gets back,” he said.
“There has never been a more pressing time when we need to come together and overcome these financial setbacks,” Whiston said. “Despite the economic challenges faced by schools across the state during the last eight years, Dearborn is still a very attractive district to parents. I feel the reason for this is that we have remained focused on providing a quality education for each child.”
October 30th, 2009 at 7:32 am
This is horrible news.
Ive heard all librarians will be cut, all media staff. Just wonder what happens then, who will be in charge of these rooms?
This comes back to Granholm,,, how much longer is she in office????
October 30th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Sorry to say but Dearborn and the others should never have been a 20-j district, or should never have budget that money EVER as a part of balancing a yearly budget. The current prop A system is not working and needs to be overhauled, but bottom line is DPS has too much staff. When that happens you lay off. Anyone could see that when 20-J was created it was just a matter of time before it was taken away. Poor planning and foresight on DPS behalf. 20-J is a symptom of an inequal system. News to Whiston. IT IS NOT COMING BACK. Earlier DPS posted here that staff salaries were going to increase by 5 million dollars, and that was part of the original deficit. Nonsense. No salaries are being raised except for a couple of Administrators that Whiston gave a raise to. (Why I have no idea). And with layoffs, salary costs will go down, thats the whole idea of layoffs. Lay em off, live without 20-J, reduce busing, custodial per the Plante Moran Study and bring in new employees under different compensation rules (pay and benefits). Quit wasting time and whining about 20-J. It has gone the way of the auto industry.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:46 am
20-J you have a point there. The rumors will be flying all over the place between now and the next meeting. People might just as well sit back and wait until the new budget is presented before they go off half-cocked.
October 30th, 2009 at 9:25 am
I work for a large nonprofit which has had its reimbursement cut from the state and federal govenments. As a result, I had 2 holidays cut, no pay increase and my retirement plan was virtually eliminated. My neighbors have lost their jobs and suffered equal cutbacks of pay and benefits.
When will our educational system realize they need to tighten their own belt? Oh….I guess the teacher’s unions are too tough to fight! However, it’s not much of a fight when most schoolboard members are close relatives of teachers/union members and continue approving contracts that have no similarity to the pay and benefits most city residents receive.
October 30th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Jenny Granholm is not the only reason we are in this financial mess. It is wasteful spending that got us here too. The District just went this year from supporting the Education Foundation $5,000 a year to $70,000 a year. These funds have already been allocated by Whiston for the next 2 years. They explained this by saying they needed a full time Director to raise more funds. Then why has the new full time Director, Eddie Fakorhy, still working his other full time job at PL Marketing? I applied for this job and would have given it the attention it needed but they hired an existing board member and allowed him an office at Ten Eyck to conduct both jobs? No wonder we are in this mess. That and people like Whiston who has his Dearborn home 100% homesteaded for 16 months and has not moved in YET. He also kept his Waterford home 100%. He is cheating Dearborn (and Dearborn Schools) out of his fair share of our taxes.
October 30th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I’m surprised no one is talking about the position that was created for the “New Director” of the Education Foundation – a fifty to seventy five thousand dollar a year position – that the district is picking up the tab for! The Foundation is a non-profit (501c3) organization, that ran for years without a fifty thousand dollar a year director. From what I understand, the new director has an office at the Board of Ed. building, but he also has another job???? Will this position be eliminated?
October 30th, 2009 at 11:48 am
A friend of mine who is privy to financial information about the Dearborn school budget claims that teacher and administrator salaries, pensions, and benefits account for 75% of the total budget. Is this true?
October 30th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
The foundation brags about raising over a million dollars. Why are they not paying their director themselves? Why are we using district funds to support a non profit director? This sounds like bad timing to hire a full time person when we are in a recession. No wonder we are in a mess? Did all the school board members agree to this? It also sounds like the foundation did not use good judgement in hiring someone unwilling to give up their existing full time position. I am sure there are plenty of people out of work who would have done this job for a lot less and put in real full time work.
October 30th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Many years ago we decided to opt out of the DPS. Our choice was to enrol our chrilden in private schools. This was our choice, but very costly. The shame is that we live in walking distance of all the schools that the kids would attend. We pay our excessive school properity taxes and don’t even use the schools. No voucher, no reinbursment. We simpley want the best education for our kids.
Compared to our schools of choice, DPS are not the place for us or many concerned families that we know. The dress code in the high schools is an embarsment. They teach to the lowest common denomotor in the class room. Counseling is almost nonexistant. Discipline is questionable. The cerlicium is not challanging enough and the teaching establishment has taken over the instution.
To solve the budget issue the answer is quite simple. Everyone in the state has taken a financial hit from the recession. Some more that others. The teachers seam to be the untouchable class. I would propose that the system open the contract and ask that the teachets take a 3-5% reduction in compensation and that the health care be put out for competive bid. We must share the pain.
The educators at our kids schools work for considerbely less and yet put out a seperior educational product. Higher test score, well rounded students, virtural 100% collage attendence, discipline, uniforms, diversity, character, scholarship.
We have to stop kidding ourselves in Dearborn…The DPS of the past are not what we have today. It’s time to get real.
October 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I agree.
October 30th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I love Dearborn … but we always said that we’d stay here only if it was in the best interest of our children and family … my husband still has his job, we can still pay our bills … but the schools are going to tank because the state doesn’t think my kids’ education is important (not just Jenny, all those idiots in Lansing did this), my street has tons of vacant homes, my neighbors and friends are losing their jobs … it’s not the Dearborn that I bought my home in or chose to raise my family in … it’s not the Michigan that I grew up in.
So, the big question … why is my family still in Michigan? Sure some of these things are happening in other states … but not the way that they are here! We were in a single state recession for a few years before it hit the other states … we’re practically experiencing a state depression right now … other states are starting to see improvements while it’s just getting worse in Michigan?
So … why am I here still?
October 30th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Dearborn Family –
I am not thrilled with the direction of the DPS school system. But don’t assert the superiority of private education. My children all graduated from Dearborn High School and attended and got into tier 1 universities – I would put their test scores up against any private school education. We have friends that pulled their children out of the DPS system and sent them to private high schools. Their kids test scores would not hold a candle to my kids test scores. Nor were they able to get into the same universities as my kids did. I think it’s interesting when people assume because they pay tuition, the education is better. I know it makes you feel better to think that way, but is is not always so…. and by the way, take a look at the way the Parochial school children dress when not at school – they look just like all the rest of the kids. Take that uniform off, and they even act alike!!!!
October 30th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
A few entries back I questioned the money given to the new Dearborn Education Foundation Director and got a very lengthy posting written by Dearborn Supt. Mr. Whiston explaining the new position. I found it to be very contradictory and full of BS. Mr. Whiston’s comment confirms that important people in the school district and the city are reading this blog. We need to keep up the comments reminding these arrogant people who they are working for and that we are not stupid taxpayers!
Also, I can’t believe how much nepotism and cronyism running rampant through the city and the school system. For example, how many relatives of Hakim Fakoury have to be involved in the schools and the city? The new DEF Director is a cousin and I have been told that Council Candidate Sayed is too. I personally would find it a conflict of interest if Mr. Sayed as a cousin serving on City Council while Hakim Fakoury is involved in so many business dealings in Dearborn. This is just one example of the nepotism going on in the city. I’m sure there are many many more examples.
October 30th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
School Mom – how about 85%!!@!
October 30th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Old All Day School Mom—this is true of public education districts in general. It’s the main reason Prop A has been a huge problem. The majority of the money in any school district budget is teacher salaries (obviously an important component–if you don’t have teachers, it doesn’t matter how many pencils or desks you have!), pensions, and of course: insurance. Insurance is obviously a big part of EVERYONE’s budget these days if they provide their employees any level of health insurance. I teach in a public school district, but not Dearborn and it is true of my district as well. Tom Watkins, former state superintendent is speaking out about this a great deal, check the freep archives as he did an article about the problems with the current school funding structure through Prop A last week.
October 30th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
How can the new Director of the Foundation be doing 2 full time jobs? Someone is getting screwed and I think it is us. Why would the District pay someone $70,000 a year knowing they were keeping their other full time job? Why did Whiston commit this money for 2 years when he knew cuts were coming out of Lansing and not knowing how this person will perform?
I think the Foundation should be paying for their own Director and that $70,000 per year could have saved a Media Specialist job for 2 years. I think that position is a little more important to our students.
When is Whiston going to make cuts at the top? We have both an Assistant Superintendent and a Assistant to the Superintendent. Does he really need both?
October 30th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Dearborn Teachers had a step freeze two years ago and no raise, the only district in the area to do so. The next year was a step increase and no raise on this, while the third year looks like a cut or layoffs. In this same time frame, the administrators have received step increase and raises along with the instructors at Henry Ford. The teacher’s have taken the biggest hit over the last three years of the unions that comprise DPS.
Salaries make up the majority of the budget, however that has always been the case. There was an idea in Lansing a few years ago to have 65% of the budget go to teacher salaries, it failed. The district has 2,000 employees and about 1250 of these are teachers. So, what are the other 750 people doing?
The state legislatures are incompetent, politicians are lairs save a few.
October 31st, 2009 at 7:58 am
How can it be justified to pay the Foundation Director $70,000 and then lay off 250 people? On top of that there will be other possible cuts…rumor has it sports will be considered, the elementary and middle school pools closed…no more swim classes at Henry Ford pool…a great program where all 3 of my children learned to swim! Also, the music program is being looked at being cut as well as closing schools at the end of the day and not allowing any activities to take place…girl and boy scouts will not be able to go to their school for meetings. I understand during these times that cuts are necessary, but something is not right when money is being handed over for a position that last year cost $5,000.
October 31st, 2009 at 9:13 am
Mr. Bean you are correct. Many of the other 750 run the busses, clean the schools and 47 other classifications running from IT tech to paraprofessional. (Not to count our Administration, which is still top heavy. If I had my way The Associate Super Ron G. would be working at Burger King today. )The other unions day has come now, many of the layoffs could come from that group. The point we need to make here is that reasonable salary adjustments and increases to health care costs are a given for everyone. My point is that even if the 20-J funding is restored this year, you can bet it will be a year or two down the road that they take it away again. You just cant count on any of this funding anymore so live with what we have. This means layoffs. You size the number of employees to the jobs to be done with a fair (not excessive) wage for all. Most of these other groups have taken pay freezes also along with concessions already. Raises given recently by Whiston to Special Ed Administrators are obscene, but the Board must have approved them. They all fail to see that since salaries are such a large part of budget, this can work in your favor as well as against it. Economies of scale. ALL and that means ALL make reasonable adjustments to wages and benefits with the needed layoffs and you have stability. 20-J? If it comes back dont spend it, put it in the rainy day fund. Believe me its going to be raining again for the next few years.
PLease Please remember one other thing, nothing at Henry Ford CC, wages, benefits, staffing… nothing there affects the P12 budget. It is completely seperate and you cannot move money from one to the other. HFCC is healthy, booming and deserves the millage increase Tuesday.
October 31st, 2009 at 9:31 am
These teachers have to remember they only work 180 days, shorter hours, plus prep time vs workers in the real world.
Giving $70,000 away so someone can TRY to raise funds is CRAZY. If the Education Foundation wants a full time Director, let THEM pay for it. Having two full time jobs meaning both jobs are not getting the attention they are paying for.
Whiston cheating on his taxes is another reason this City is in such bad shape. Where is City Hall on this one? They know he has NOT moved to Dearborn and they allow him to collect 100% homestaed on a home he has never moved into. The Mayor is to busy worrying about his enemies that he is forgetting to do the job he was hired to do. Time for him to go along with all existing Council people. Lets clean City Hall and get some new people in there willing to WORK.
October 31st, 2009 at 10:41 am
The public sector has become as corrupt as the private sector in this country. The BIG difference is CHOICE. If you or I am unhappy with a private sector product or service, guess what—we can take our money and go to a competing private sector supplier; the best example of that is the auto industry.
However, we have NO CHOICE when it comes to paying taxes to fund public services. If your or I am unhappy with a public sector service or entity, we can’t take our property taxes and give it to a competing public sector service ro entity.
The system stinks, and needs to be changed.
Perhaps we could start with limiting the number of public pensions allowable in Michigan, or at the very least TAX the public pensions above $38,000—which is the state of Michigan tax imposed on private pensioneers.
October 31st, 2009 at 10:43 am
SORRY…TYPOS CORRECTED BELOW…
The public sector has become as corrupt as the private sector in this country. The BIG difference is CHOICE. If you or I am unhappy with a private sector product or service, guess what—we can take our money and go to a competing private sector supplier; the best example of that is the auto industry.
However, we have NO CHOICE when it comes to paying taxes to fund public services. If you or I am unhappy with a public sector service or entity, we can’t take our property taxes and give it to a competing public sector service or entity.
The system stinks, and needs to be changed.
Perhaps we could start with limiting the number of public pensions allowable in Michigan, or at the very least TAX the public pensions above $38,000—which is what the state of Michigan tax system imposes on private pensioneers.
October 31st, 2009 at 4:16 pm
If HFCC is so healthy like 20-j says, why should we throw more money at them by renewing a millage that was a temporary tax? We gave them this money to help them at a difficult time, not to live on. I am going to vote NO because if our schools are in bad shape you know a millage for K-12 cannot be far behind. HFCC has the option of raising tuition. K-12 doesn’t have many options except cuts. Administrative cuts are the last to go, so any cuts will directly impact the classroom and students.
October 31st, 2009 at 6:00 pm
HFCC endeavors to keep tuition costs down, especially for Dearborn Residents. This makes it affordable to our residents. HFCC has lost revenue from decrease in property tax values, along with inflation illustrates the need for the millage renewal, not increase. If you look around you will see that HFCC is one of the only bright spots in town, we need to keep it that way. Tuition does NOT make up all of HfCC operating budget. For an average of 30.00 a year I certainly will vote for this. With the collapse of the auto industry and the supplier base, job retraining in Community Colleges is here probably for the rest of our lives. HFCC does not LIVE on 30.00 a household per year (average cost of millage renewal). It costs money to increase space on campus for the ever increasing enrollments . As for K-12 dont even mention them in the same paragraph. They are their administration are beyond sad. I only mentioned HfCC because there is some mindset out there that somehow revenue or monies at HfCC can be transported somehow to P12. They are separate.
October 31st, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Only 20+% of HFCC students are from Dearborn. Why do I want to pay higher taxes to keep tuition low at HFCC for 80% of the non-residents attending? This tax was suppose to be temporary. If you renew this, it will become part of their permanent operating budget. Let them tighten their belts like the rest of us. HFCC offers TONS of scholarships for students. They have their own Education Foundation that does nothing but raise money for scholarships. They even pay their own Director unlike Whiston who gave the K-12 Director $70,000.
The City won’t admit my property values dropped. Whiston and Tafekski won’t pay their fair share. Abraham didn’t pay his taxes until busted and Nancy Siwik’s are still outstanding. Time for me to get a break and vote NO.
When does a temporary tax really mean a temporary tax? Renewal makes it a permanent tax. I’m fed up.
November 1st, 2009 at 11:43 am
I can’t believe what has happened to the Education Foundation. Many years ago, under the direction of Jeremy Hughes and other concerned residents, the Foundation raised money to benefit the students of Dearborn. The board members sat on the board not to be patted on the back, but to contribute. The board now consists of the current presidents “Good Ol boy” friends and he has managed to kick off anyone that doesn’t agree with him. This board is a joke, and somehow, they even got Whiston to pay $70,000 a year to one of those friends. He has an office in the Board of Ed. building all while continuing with his current job. From what I understand, they have added 4 more “new” members to the board, and again, all are B. Mossallam’s buddies. They even added Ali Sayed to the board – why? So he can say he sit’s on a board for his run for city council? Come on… Oh yes – and they are related to Hakim Fakourry. Why don’t they rename this board – I think we call all come up with a new name, because it certainly should not be called the Dearborn Education Foundation. It does not represent all of Dearborn!
November 1st, 2009 at 5:21 pm
JD–I think you should come spend a day in my life as a kindergarten teacher. You let me know if I work less hours a day than you. Also, come spend the summer with me and let me know if I only work 180 days a year. Oh, by the way, come to the funeral homes with me when family members of my students pass away, come visit my sick students in the hospital with me when they are admitted for intestinal flu, and by ALL means do report cards and parent-teacher conferences with me. I think you should also grade papers, do all the administrative paperwork that teachers have to do, also make amazing instructional lemonade out of the very few lemons we are given as materials and BY ALL MEANS come PARENT the children I teach that have parents who believe I am responsible for parenting them.
When you walk in my shoes, I’ll come sit in what is likely your comfy cubicle with internet radio and computer solitaire. Did I mention that teachers have more direct impact on the future of this country than anyone else? I am SO TIRED of hearing teachers have summers off and are overpaid for the work they do. You tell me, who deserves more pay–our athletes and pop stars or our teachers? I’m pretty confident they and most people work much less than I do. Ask my husband while you’re at it–he’ll tell you all about how much I work.
Sorry all, I just am sick and tired of hearing this kind of ridiculous talk about teachers. Obviously JD has no teachers that he is friends with or related to. Such a shame.
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:37 am
As the daughter of public school teachers, I can attest to the fact that a teacher’s job doesn’t stop when the bell rings at the end of the day. It is a job that comes home with you in the concern for your students that doesn’t get turned off at the end of the day and in the stack of papers that you are grading on your kitchen table in the evening, just before you write your lesson plans because you simply don’t have enough planning time provided to you at school during the day.
Aside from how many hours teachers put into their day long after the students have gone home … teachers have a huge responsibility. Aside from parents, they are the first step in forming who our leaders will be in future decades. I think it’s pretty important that those who will lead our country, provide our medical care, give us financial advice, etc be able to read, write, do math, etc … I, for one, won’t be complaining about how much my kids’ teachers make as long as they are reasonable and accept that they may have to make concessions along with everyone else with everyone else during these tough times.
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:40 am
Just want to make it clear that “Wating better for Dearborn” is not me.
I applied for the Foundation Director job too, and thought it was a reasonable idea to change it to a full time position, if they had actually hired someone to do the job they clearly advertised – a “full time fundraiser” dedicated to bringing in much more money and operating “totally independent from the District.” It was quite a challenging job description, very high qualifications required.
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Teachers work hard but that doesn’t mean they cannot take concessions like the rest of us. I do believe the cuts should start with the top heavy administration. Some how that never gets touch. Whiston has an Assistant Superintendent as well as an Assistant TO the Superintendent. Time for them to feel the pain too. Of course it would help too if Whiston paid his fair share of taxes instead of cheating the Schools (and City).
Debbie, you would have been GREAT for that job. They missed out. Have they seen your work on Relay for Life? It sounds like it was fixed if they hired one of their own and got Whiston to pick up the tab. No wonder our schools are in this mess if he just gave someone $70,000 a year and allowed them to keep their full time job too.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Just a rumor…but is Mr. Whiston one of the rumored 6 people that got $10K raises this year? Along with 5 other “top level” execs at Ten Icke