March 29, 2024

No Correct Answer

Feb. 5, 2016

The parents, teachers, students and community members pleading their case to keep three Traverse Area Public Schools (TCAPS) open were, of course, absolutely right.

Schools like Interlochen, Old Mission and Bertha Vos are the hubs of their community and they do provide more than just book learning. They are gathering places for far more than just students going to class.

And moving children to new schools is disruptive to them and their families, and oftentimes destructive to the micro-economy orbiting the school.

But it’s a safe bet there is no one out there searching more frantically for any solution that could keep those schools open than the TCAPS administration and board, the very people likely to close all three. This is not a warm and fuzzy decision; they gain a balanced budget along with boatloads of anger and disappointment.

The problem here is self-evident: The district has declining enrollment and the three schools in question have fallen below the point of financial sustainability. The district, trying to keep their budget in the black, can save more than $1.2 million annually by closing the schools.

Yes, schools are more than a series of ciphers on a balance sheet. But those sheets need to be balanced. That is an integral part of any district’s responsibility to its constituent community.

The question is also self-evident: What is the alternative? Superintendent Paul Soma and TCAPS board members have been given a multiple-choice test with no correct answer. Please one constituency and another loses.

There have been alternatives suggested. Online commentary is full of them. Close Central Grade, close West Senior High, close both Eastern and Old Mission and build a big elementary school between the two…

Then there’s the usual notion of cutting waste, duplication and fraud. TCAPS, like most other local school districts, is operating at budget levels nearly a decade old. Those budgets, by the way, are public record and you’re welcome to find them online and root out all that waste yourself. If you can find legitimate savings, your school district would love to hear about it.

And no, the problem is not that teachers are being overpaid. Whatever they’re paid in this day and age isn’t enough. We now require them to be nannies, psychologists, nurses, nutritionists, daycare operators, food bank workers, and disciplinarians but without damaging anyone’s delicate self-esteem. All the while they are captive to ever-changing curricula mandates and new, improved standardized tests every couple of years. When they’re finished with all that they might have a little time to do the actual teaching they thought they were signing up to do.

The timing of this couldn’t be much worse for TCAPS. It’s no real secret they would like to propose a millage increase in 2017 to pay for badly needed infrastructure repairs and maintenance. Upsetting potential voters now won’t much help next year.

The math just isn’t on their side. TCAPS receives 80 percent of its funding from a nearly $7,400 per pupil distribution made by the state (school districts in the politically powerful southeastern part of the state receive up to 40 percent more per student, but that’s another issue).

Assume you have a school with 300 students. Next year you have 290 students, and the losses spread throughout the student body. You still need the same number of classes, classrooms, teachers, overhead; none of your expenses have decreased but your budget is short about $74,000. And it’s not the only school losing students.

That’s the reality of declining enrollment. When it declines enough, as it has at Bertha Vos, Interlochen and Old Mission, the negative balance sheet begins to impact the rest of the district. The only options are to cut spending or increase revenues. So far, we’ve heard plenty of reasons why closing the schools is a bad idea, but nothing that would prevent it.

If new financing is found, or more budgets cut, what about next year and the next? Even a successful millage campaign won’t help increase student populations at the targeted schools.

It is a dreadful circumstance for everyone involved. It’s even worse for those wanting to be finger-pointers; it isn’t clear there is any one or group to blame. Shrinking enrollment is not unique to TCAPS nor is it necessarily their fault. People relocate or opt for private or charter schools for myriad reasons. And there’s no new baby boom that will feed large numbers of youngsters into the TCAPS system.

TCAPS hasn’t found an answer and there might not be one. If you have an idea other than “you shouldn’t do that” that doesn’t break the law, break a contract or break the bank, give them a call. No one would be happier to keep those schools open than the people who have to close them.

Trending

Mysterious Michigan Reads

We can’t think of a better way to spend spring break than with a great book. Northern Express asked local bookseller... Read More >>

Heirloom Recipes With Heritage, History, and Nostalgia

Before we begin to stash our coats and put winter behind us, let us remember what years past have taught us…fake sp... Read More >>

A Floral Family Affair

In the quaint downtown of Elk Rapids sits Golden Hill Farms, a shop where the artistry of floristry meets the rustic charm... Read More >>

A Look at Originalism

O Tempora O Mores! Oh the times, oh the culture. This Latin phrase relates to both the 18th century and our current times.... Read More >>