Chuck Frisbie, Superintendent, Constantine Public Schools

CHANGING TIMES

With the rapid changes in the State it’s a great time for schools to take a step back and look at the best direction to meet the needs of students.  In the past 8 years, the State of Michigan has lost more than half of all its manufacturing jobs, this impacts the tax base which funds schools and as a result it impacts our funding.

What’s changed?  Enrollment has decreased in our county from 2002, when the county had 12,059 students, currently we have 11,278.  Examples include; Burr Oak 367 – 298, Centreville 977 – 945, Colon 901 – 690, Constantine 1543 – 1513, Mendon 794 – 697, Nottawa 167 – 148, Three Rivers 3057 – 2783, White Pigeon 1036 – 813.  Sturgis is the only district in the county with an increase going from 3067 to 3236.  People are leaving the State to try and find jobs and the numbers in St. Joseph County reflect that.

School funding is going backward from 7,312 to possibly next year being in the area of 6,850.  There is a one constant variable for schools with a low fund balance, they’ve lost students!  A record number of Michigan school districts are in deficit and may go bankrupt in the next two years.  The Michigan Department of Education audit this month showed 41 districts with operating losses in 2008-2009, and that number is expected to double next year.  By law, school districts can’t operate at a deficit.

Sometimes, it seems that sports leagues are quicker to react to the enrollment changes than the academic programs.  For example, the recent switches in sports leagues within the county include; Twin Valley to SMAC, SJV to KVA, SJV to SCAA and SJV to Independent.

With that in mind, tough times create opportunities for people to quit protecting turf and instead work towards saving money by working cooperatively to ensure that we’re meeting the needs of students.

The options that schools have that will allow us to meet the needs of students include:

Increased Consolidation of Services

This year the State has mandatory reporting for each county to see how districts are working together to create savings. There are many examples of schools in St. Joseph County working together to save money that include shared busing for special education and CTE students, county bids for supplies and insurance, county cooperative programs in CTE and special education, shared teachers, shared business managers, and shared maintenance staff.  Our most recent shared service is the Technology Consortium of our local districts and the ISD.  Finally, this spring the county will be scheduling all of our high school students at the same time to see what kind of sharing can take place and be the most efficient use of staff.

At the same time that schools are cooperating at unprecedented levels, some schools have been impacted to the extent that students may be denied access to the study of and appreciation for performing arts such as choir, band, art, etc.

This model could include having one county level of administration for the remaining schools who keep their local identity.

Consolidation of School

The drumbeats for consolidation continue to get louder.  Last year the State Superintendent, Mike Flanagan, asked the State Board of Education for the power to consolidate school districts before reconsidering and emphasizing consolidation of services.  This year a bill has been introduced to review and make recommendations to the State Superintendent for consolidating schools.

According to research, the best academic and financial mix is in the area of 1500 – 2500 students.  If White Pigeon and Constantine were to consolidate they would have approximately 2,300 students.  Colon, Centreville and Mendon would have 2,400 students.  Ten years ago the number for White Pigeon and Constantine would have been in the area of 2,900 and Colon, Centreville and Mendon would have been 3,200.  Obviously, this is a touchy subject for many because consolidation is often viewed as creating “winners” and “losers”.

Plus, schools can get too big and student achievement declines as a result.  Our county is a good example of this with our smaller schools generally achieving better results in State testing than the larger schools.  At the same time many rural schools are discussing consolidation many urban districts are looking to make their schools smaller to increase student achievement.

With the rapid changes we’re seeing in Michigan there are many problems for schools such as declining enrollment and revenues.  But, from problems are solutions that if done properly, can ensure that the students of St. Joseph County continue to get the great education they deserve.  The Districts of St. Joseph County will continue to explore their options to do what’s best for kids!

Chuck Frisbie
Superintendent
Constantine Public Schools