C’ville School Board Opposes HISD Budget (MI)

June 3, 2010

While many school boards in Huron County are approving the Huron Intermediate School District’s proposed general fund budget, the school board in this district opposed it at last week’s meeting, based on a new special education funding formula that negatively affects the district.

While the special education fund is separate from the general fund, the Caseville school board stated the general fund budget is impacted by the special education budget. This budget includes funds from state and federal sources, as well as funds from a millage approved by Huron County voters.

The Huron Intermediate School District (HISD) funds local districts’ special education programs at 100 percent, so local districts do not have to use their general fund to cover special education costs.

However, the HISD’s new funding allocation formula is resulting in some districts, including Caseville, receiving less money for special education programs. In Caseville’s case, the reduction is about $54,000.

According to a supplement document to the board’s objection to the HISD’s general fund budget, the new funding allocation formula for special education was proposed without “adequate opportunity for input by the taxpayers of the Caseville Public Schools, as well as without adequate opportunity of the constituent school boards to participate … in this decision.”

The supplement document also states the HISD did not approve the allocations for the districts until after the mandatory date by which the Caseville district needs to notify school personnel of the possible reduction of staff, as required by the collective bargaining agreement.

“This (reduction in special education funds) may well result in additional contract penalties to the Caseville Public School District as a consequence of the late decision of the (HISD),” the document states. The board and Superintendent Dr. Dan Tighe is requesting a delay of the new funding allocation implement