Some Facts About the Non-Homestead Millage Vote

YOUR YES VOTE is worth $1,100,000 to the EGR schools!!

   

Election day is Tuesday, May 4th.  VOTE YES on Operating Millage Proposal:

   

• No change in taxes on EGR homeowners
• Renews 18 mill tax on EGR business, industrial, agricultural and rental properties only.
• No primary EGR residences will be affected
• YES = $1,100,000 directly to EGR Schools budget

With a proposed $2.5 million EGR School Budget cut:

   

YOUR YES VOTE KEEPS $1,100,000 in their coffers!!

  

YOUR YES VOTE PREVENTS the schools from a $3.6 million shortfall!!

   

YOUR YES VOTE = an easy way to help your schools!  Spread the word!!!

   

   

OPERATING MILLAGE PROPOSAL

  

This proposal will allow the school district to levy the statutory rate of 18 mills on all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law, required for the school district to receive its revenue per pupil foundation allowance.

Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law, in East Grand Rapids Public Schools, Kent County, Michigan, be increased by 18 mills ($18.00 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of 3 years, 2010, 2011 and 2012, to provide funds for operating purposes (17.8669

mills of the above is a renewal of millage which expired with the 2009 tax levy and .1331 mill is a restoration of millage lost as a result of the reduction required by the Michigan Constitution of 1963); the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2010 is approximately $1,100,000?

  

The Legislative Committee encourages you to get out and vote!

May 4, 2010

Please get out and vote for the Non-Homestead Property Tax.  This tax is about $350 per student each school year!!

Dates to Remember

April 26 7pm School Board Meeting. Wealthy Auditorium.  The budget committee will publicly offer recommendations for cuts.

May 4 Vote!! For the Renewal of Nonhomestead property tax

June 7 5:30pm Budget Hearing. Wealthy Auditorium.  The budget for the 2010/11 school year will be proposed.

June 14 7pm School Board Meeting. The balanced budget will be adopted.

Recent Newspaper Articles Addressed by the Legislative Committee 4-4-10

At the last Legislative Committee meeting, we addressed some Grand Rapids Press articles.  Please find the links to these articles on the blog.
1.  The first set of articles had to do with the EGRPS fund balance.  One of the articles criticized the use of a fund balance, or a savings account, by school districts.  Assistant Superintendent of Business, Kevin Phillips, reported to us that the professional organization that he belongs to recommends a 15% fund balance to be used to buffer erratic state funding, to buffer budget cuts and to minimize the interest on loans taken out by school districts to pay for expenses incurred during the schoolistrict's fiscal year, beginning July 1st before the first State payment of School Aid funds around October 20 each year.

EGRPS is following these guidelines and is utilizing the fund balance during this school year and in the 2010/11 and the 2011/12 school years to soften the blow of severe budget cuts over a million dollars in deficits.  We will go from 15% to around 11% by the end of the 2011/12 fiscal year.


We then addressed the ongoing Press articles about EGRPS cutting the custodial staff.  Mr. Phillips explained that the Administration is looking carefully at bids that will save the district $500,000 (out of a $1.1 million expense in a $28 million budget) and keep the cuts out of the classroom. In fairness to the custodial staff, if they are able to cut their costs by $350,000, then the district will keep them on and forego the outsourcing of the services.


















Your Legislative Committee Recommends Action!!



If we are concerned about budget cuts in the schools, we have to contact our elected representatives.





Representative Dave Hildenbrand (517) 373-0846 rephildenbrand@house.mi.gov

Senator Mark Jansen (517) 373-0797 SenMJansen@senate.michigan.gov

Governor Jennifer Granholm (517) 335-7858



Dates to remember:



April 26 7pm School Board Meeting. The budget committee will publicly offer recommendations for cuts.

May 4 Vote!! For the Renewal of Nonhomestead property tax

June 7 5:30pm Budget Hearing. The budget for the 2010/11 school year will be proposed.

June 14 7pm School Board Meeting. The balanced budget will be adopted.

Get Answers From Your Legislators - Let Them Know How Much You Value Education

·       

Education Town Hall Meeting

Monday, February 8, 2010, 7:00 pm

In the East Grand Rapids High School Little Auditorium, 2211 Lake Drive, SE, EGR, MI 49506

 The EGRPS Legislative Committee invites you to bring your questions and comments regarding K-12 education.

Representatives Robert Dean and Dave Hildenbrand, and Senators Bill Hardiman and Mark Jansen, as well as candidate for Senate, David LaGrand, and others will be here to answer your questions.

EGRPS Superintendent, Dr. Sara Magana Shubel will moderate the discussion.

 We’ll Discuss:        

• The Impact of Deep Cuts to Education Funding
•  Race to the Top Legislation and Federal Stimulus Dollars
•  Restructuring the Way Schools are Funded in MI
• Your questions and comments

IT’S TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN MICHIGAN!

The Michigan Budget Outlook: What is the “Revenue Estimating Conference” and why is it important to K-12 education?

The Revenue Estimating Conference is a semi-annual meeting of the state treasurer and directors of the House and Senate fiscal agencies at which they determine, to the best of their abilities, how much tax revenue the state will have to spend over the next two years.
The most recent Revenue Estimating Conference took place on January 11 in Lansing.  The conclusions made there serve to inform legislators, the Governor, and local school boards regarding the need for mid-year cuts and the anticipated level of revenue available for the next budget cycle.  Governor Granholm will propose a budget to the legislature in February, and the house and senate will then begin the contentious process of reconciling her budget with their ideas, and eventually pass the final budget for the fiscal year that begins November 1.  
Here are some of the conclusions from Monday's Revenue Estimating Conference:  
Tax collections for the general fund and the school aid fund will be $17.36 billion this year, a 5.1 percent decline compared to a year ago and $17.44 billion next year. The consensus revenue numbers minus about $1 billion in federal recovery cash mean the general fund, the state's main checking account, will be $1.2 billion short and school aid will be short $423 million -- or $268 per pupil -- next year, said Gary Olson, director of the Senate Fiscal Agency. State Budget Director Bob Emerson said based on the numbers it doesn't appear any further budget cuts will be required this year. That also means no mid-year reductions in school aid. But he estimated a $1.8 billion problem for the next fiscal year. Emerson added the 2011 budget will be tougher than this year's, because additional cuts will have to come on top of difficult reductions made this year.

What does this mean for EGRPS?  The Board of Education managed the $165/pupil cut to funding for the current school year through a combination of using some of the fund balance (savings), and making $810,000 in cuts to programs and staff.  For the 2010/2011 school year, the administration is tentatively planning a budget that assumes a $300/pupil cut in funding, (nearly $1 million total) which will be addressed by using some of the fund balance and implementing further severe cuts to programs and staff.
For more information and an opportunity to veiw and participate in a forum on the finances of EGRPS, please visit the new Ning created by Kevin Phillips, Assistant Superintendent for Business, at egrpsfinance.ning.com

You are invited to attend the Town Hall Meeting on Monday, February 8, at 7:00 p.m. in the Little Auditorium to let your legislators know that education funding is important to you, and to Michigan.  (More Town Hall Meeting information in the post below.)

Education Town Hall Meeting

Monday, February 8, 2010, at 7:00 p.m.

In the East Grand Rapids High School Little Auditorium, 2211 Lake Drive, SE, EGR, MI 49506

Your EGRPS Legislative Committee invites you to bring your questions regarding all of the changes related to K-12 education to a Town Hall Meeting moderated by EGRPS Superintendent, Dr. Sara Shubel.  

·     Do you wonder about all of the budget cuts? 

·     Do you want to know more about the huge changes brought about by the Race to the Top incentives? 

Representative Dave Hildenbrand, Senator Mark Jansen, Representative Robert Dean, Senator Bill Hardiman, and others will be there to address your concerns and answer your questions.

Meet your legislators and let them know that strong public schools are important to you!