Dearborn school officials are asking for input from parents, students, staff and community members to determine whether to change the high school start time from the current 7:20 a.m. to a later time.

We wrote about this very topic back in September. Now a public meeting is being held on Dec. 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to gather additional input to determine whether 7:20 a.m. is too early to begin classes for high school students. We think it is and so have many school districts across the country that now begin classes at least an hour later. The meeting will be held at the Administrative Service Center, 18700 Audette.

Results from an online survey conducted earlier this fall revealed that 60 percent were in favor of some type of change in the school start time. The survey was conducted to determine whether a later high school start time was a topic of interest in the community.

Any change in the start of high school would impact the start of middle and elementary school grades, as well. So it is important for parents with a child in the school system to take part in this discussion.

The Dearborn Parent Teacher Student Association and several other school districts across the state will be marching on Lansing Tuesday to protest Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s decision to cut education funding.

Dearborn school officials are eying massive job cuts as a result of decision by Granholm. For earlier story, click HERE.

Colette Dunsmore, Dearborn PTSA Council President, has been busy notifying parents and media outlets about the march and urging their participation. Ms. Dunsmore said the PTSA wants to fill at least three buses for the trip to Lansing, which is being funded by PTA’s across the district.

Here is what you need to know if you plan on joining the rally, courtesy of Ms. Dunsmore:

DATE:  Tuesday, November 10th

TIME:  Meet at 8am, leave by bus NO LATER THAN 8:15am.

LOCATION:  Ten Eyck Parking Lot (Administrative Services Center)

DETAILS:  We have a permit to be on the steps of the Capitol Building from 10 a.m.-noon. If you want to make signs, please do so! Make sure to include “Dearborn” on the posters plus you may also include “unfair cuts”, “support our children”, etc. You will want to bring a snack with you as we won’t have time to get lunch while we are there. You’ll be able to eat your snack on the way home from Lansing.

RETURN:  Leave Lansing at approx. noon, return to Dearborn around 1:45.

ATTIRE:  Dress warm as we’ll be outside for approximately 2 hours.

QUESTIONS?Feel free to contact Colette Dunsmore at 313-333-0121.

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.”

With additional cuts of $5 million in funding for Dearborn Schools, the district is asking all of us to get involved by contacting Gov. Granholm’s office to voice our opinion and ask that all school districts across the state be cut the same per-pupil amount.

As many of us know by now, Gov. Granholm signed the state bill but vetoed the Dearborn School District’s 20J money, created in 1999 to ensure equal funding increases to all school districts. The loss of 20J will cost Dearborn $5 million. The total loss from the state aid cuts for 2009-2010 school year will be $9.5 million, equal to a $527 per student cut which looks like this:

• Foundation allowance per pupil: $3,000,000

• 31a at risk funds: $1,500,000

• 20j funds: $5,000,000

In an open letter to the district, Dearborn Schools Supt. Brian J. Whiston says that with the governor’s veto total cuts for the 2009-10 year will be $20.9 million, $9.5 million of which is attributed to the above state funding loss.

“Please remember, we are already a donor district and send $14M more to the state than the district gets back,” he says in his letter. “We are fortunate that we still are a very attractive district drawing over 400 additional students into our schools this year alone to bring us to 18,444, fourth largest in the State of Michigan. We cannot afford though to take the brunt end of this hit disproportionally more than most all other districts.”

As a bit of background, the district provided this synopsis for why the veto took place: Gov. Granholm has vetoed 20j funding as a strategy to get Senator Mike Bishop to agree to increases of revenue from specific taxes so to be able to fund this year’s state aid package which was most recently passed. Senator Bishop is a supporter of 20j funding, which goes to 43 districts, benefiting approximately 200,000 students.

So we really need to address letters to both Gov. Granholm and Sen. Bishop, urging them to do the right thing for the greater benefit of students and their education in Michigan.

You can call Gov. Granholm at 517-373-3400, fax her at 517-335-6863 and/or write her at:

Governor Jennifer Granholm, P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, MI 48909

You can call Sen. Mike Bishop at 517-373-2417, fax him at 517-373-2694 and/or write him at:

Senator Mike Bishop, P.O. Box 30036, Lansing, MI 48909

Dearborn school officials say they are canceling the flu shot clinic scheduled for Friday, October 16 and Tuesday, October 20, because of vaccine shortages.

Due to the increased number of people getting the seasonal flu vaccine, the City of Dearborn Health Department will not have enough doses available to supply the flu shot clinic scheduled for those two dates, Dearborn schools said in a release Thursday.

School officials say when the City’s Health Department has a new supply of seasonal flu shots the District will work with them to reschedule a seasonal flu shot clinic.

In a letter to parents on the district’s website, Dearborn School Supt. Brian J. Whiston said Monday afternoon that a student at Edsel Ford High School has a confirmed case of the H1N1 flu. It is the first known case in the district.

Below is the letter from Supt. Whiston:

The H1N1 flu has received a lot of attention and therefore the district felt it was important to tell the community about the first confirmed case in the district. However, because health officials are less worried about the severity of this flu and are unable to predict how widespread it will become, the district will not be sending home a letter each time they receive notice of a confirmed case. If further reports indicate that the H1N1 flu would impact the operation of school, then the district will provide relevant information to the community.

 The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is not recommending school closure in the event of a single case or even mild outbreaks of the H1N1 flu. School closures will only be considered if a large number of students or staff members are absent. District administration will inform parents in the event of a school closure.

If a school or schools need to be closed for any reason, the district reminds parents to please plan ahead and have a family discussion to decide who would care for their child if his/her school were closed. Remember if school is closed, students should not gather at another location, but rather stay home to avoid continued spread of flu outside of school.

Earlier in the year the district sent home a “Frequently Asked Questions” document to help answer questions and provide accurate information about the H1N1 flu. Parents and community members can access that information on the district’s website, www.dearbornschools.org. There are many actions everyone can do to keep schools open and functioning in a normal manner this school year and the District is asking for parents help.

 – Teach your children how to reduce the risk of getting and spreading flu viruses by:

● Washing hands often. Wash with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds.

● Using hand sanitizer. Gels and rubs with at least 60% alcohol are effective.

● Coughing or sneezing into their sleeve or elbow – not their hands!

 – If you suspect your child is getting or has the flu, it is important s/he does not attend school or go anywhere else. If your child is sick, keep him/her home for at least 24 hours after being free of fever, without fever reducing medication.

 – Please remember that you must notify the school when your child will be absent. If you are keeping your child home due to flu or flu-like symptoms, please share that information with the school when reporting the absence.

Please know that the district will make decisions based on the recommendations of city, county, and state public health organizations as well as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The Dearborn Public Schools will provide parents and the community with new information as it becomes available.

Less than five months after the Dearborn School Board of Education approved a budget that included $10.2 million in cuts, the district now could be forced to slash an additional $6 million this school year as a result of actions by our elected officials in Lansing.

And if that isn’t bad enough, for the 2010-2011 school year the state of Michigan could be eliminating as much as $500 per student.

In a recent letter to his staff, Dearborn School Supt. Brian J. Whiston outlined what the school district could face in the coming days. Below is a copy of the letter:

Greetings,

The State of Michigan has only a few days until the October 1 deadline to finalize the state budget and I’m sure that information coming out of Lansing has changed since this letter was drafted. However, despite the ever changing news, I would like to take a brief moment to try and recap where we are as a district regarding our budget and what the news from Lansing will mean to all of us here in the Dearborn Public Schools.

Where the District stood as of September 3 in regard to the 2009-10 Budget

Budget assumptions made to create the 2009-10 budget:

                       Original (6/30/2009)       Revised (9/3/2009)

Compensation      $5,000,000                               $5,000,000

State Aid Reduction($100/pp)  1,800,000                —-

State Aid Reduction($265/pp)      —-                     (4,800,000)

Stimulus Restoration($265/pp)    —-                      4,800,000

31-a At-Risk Reduction(25%)         —-                    1,500,000

Pension Increase(16.54% to 16.94% )1,000,000        400,000

Inflation(benefits, utilities, etc)  1,000,000               1,000,000             

Special Education (Act 18 deficit) 1,000,000            1,000,000

2009 Fund Balance      750,000                            750,000

 TOTAL Deficit     $10,550,000                           $9,650,000

Here is brief explanation of each item:

• $5 million in compensation – The district will spend $5 million more in 2009-10 than in 2008-09 to pay for the salaries of all employees.

• $1.8 million state aid reduction ($100/per pupil) - At the time the 2009-10 budget was being put together (January – June of 09) the district was told by sources in Lansing to expect anywhere from a $75 to $125 cut in per pupil funding (called the Foundation Grant). We chose to use a $100 figure in building the budget. The actual reduction in per pupil funding is $265 per student. The state of Michigan will use federal stimulus money to “plug” that hole and make up the $265 cut to keep per pupil funding at the 2008-09 level. Please read the information below to understand how this has changed in the last few weeks.

• 31-a At-Risk reduction - Originally these funds were not going to be touched but, over the summer, 31-a funds became a target for reductions. The district was told that 25% of 31-a funding could be cut.

• Pension increase (16.54% to 16.94%) - This is the amount the district pays to the state that goes into the pension fund. Again, back in the spring of 2009, we were being told to expect a 1% increase. There is actually good news here as the increase is only going to be .4 %.

• Inflation (benefits, utilities, etc.) - This is a projected increase in expenses due to inflation.

• Special Education (Act 18 deficit) - The county provides Special Education services to students in all districts through a series of “Center Programs.” A few years ago voters in Wayne County approved a millage that covered the cost of these Center Programs. However, expenses will once again outpace revenue and the county will be asking each school district to “pay them back” for the use of the Center Program. The district projects that we will need to pay the county $2 million from the general budget in 2010-11. The plan is to take $1 million from the general budget this year and $1 million next year to cover the $2 million.

• 2009 fund balance - The district used $750,000 from the fund balance for the 2008-09 budget. If we don’t reduce the 2009-10 budget by $750,000, we will once again be short.

The original projected deficit for 2009-10 was $10.5 million. After revisions to the revenue and pension assumptions, the total deficit was reduced to $9.6 million. Since the number is based on estimates we chose to reduce $10.2 million and use that figure as the projected deficit amount.

What has happened since June?

Over the summer the House of Representatives passed a state budget for 2009-10 and then State Senators went to work on their version. A committee made up of both Senators and Representatives are working to finalize a budget to present to the Governor for her approval. The following shows how the current budget discussion in Lansing will impact Dearborn Public Schools. The budget discussions in Lansing are changing by the day and by the hour. The information below could look the same or very different before the October 1 budget deadline in Lansing. We will continue to keep you updated as information becomes available.

Where we are at on September 23 with the 2009-10 Budget

Current discussions in Lansing regarding reductions and their impact on our district:

             Possible Reduction, Option C

 31-a At-Risk      $1,500,000

$218 per pupil     $4,000,000

GSRP                $1,623,000

                       $7,123,000

Already budgeted  ($1,500,000)

                         $5,623,000

Carry over            $2,000,000

TOTAL Reduction  $7,623,000

Here is brief explanation of each item:

• 31-a At-Risk - The discussion in Lansing has once again turned to cutting part or all of the 31-a funding our district receives. This money is used to provide support and instruction to at-risk students across the district.

• $218 per pupil - In the first set of numbers the federal stimulus money was used to keep districts from losing per-pupil funding. However, even with federal stimulus dollars the state doesn’t have enough money to provide the current level of funding and therefore needs to reduce the Foundation Grant by $218.

• GSRP (Great Start Readiness Program) – The GSRP program is for children who are not yet in kindergarten but have been identified as being academically at-risk. This program is structured instruction taught by certified teachers that make sure children enter kindergarten at the same academic level as their peers. The proposed cut would eliminate the program.

• Already budgeted – In June, and again in September, the district made assumptions on state revenues. The September revision assumed a $1.5 million reduction in state funding. This amount was part of the $9.6 million deficit and expenses were already reduced to address the $1.5 million projected loss.

• Carry over - This amount is being carried over from the 2008-09 budget due to several reasons including a reduction in revenue late in the year, planned cuts that were not fully implemented, and unanticipated costs.

• Total Reduction- Depending on what budget proposal lawmakers in Lansing finally agree to, the district could face $7.6 million in reductions. This is above and beyond the $10.2 million that was already cut from the 2009-10 budget when it was approved back in June. It’s important to remember that state law sets our budget year starting July 1 while the state’s budget year begins October 1. The state provides us with the money to operate but has not determined how much they are going to give us until we are one quarter into our fiscal year.

What are we doing now?

The district administration, including all principals, has been working since late August to identify additional areas to reduce the budget. Even if all funding is restored we still have a structural problem that will continue to impact our budget year after year until it is addressed. In addition, any federal money that was used to make up shortfalls in the 2008-09 budget and the 2009-10 budget will not be around for the 2010-11 budget. It is very likely that the 2010-11 school year will be hit with a big reduction in per student funding, possibly as much as $500 per student.

Although we face some difficult decisions, I am confident that the recommendations from our staff, principals and administrators will continue to focus on improving instruction and providing a quality education to the students in our district. How we run our district and how our students attend school may look different, but please know that the work of our district, educating children, will always drive our budget decisions.

Regards,

Brian J. Whiston

Superintendent

We’ve had a lot of discussion on these pages about the quality of education in our state and many of our communities. Now a new survey says that public assessment of schools has fallen to its lowest level in nearly three decades.

According to a recently released Education Next poll put out by the Hoover Institution, public assessment of schools has fallen to the lowest level recorded since Americans were first asked to grade schools in 1981. Just 18 percent of those surveyed gave schools a grade of an A or a B, down from 30 percent reported by a Gallup poll as recently as 2005.

No less than 25 percent of those polled by Education Next gave the schools either an F or a D. (In 2005, only 20 percent gave schools such low marks.)

For the full story, click HERE.

More Sleep Equals Better Grades, Healthier Students

What is the best time to start school for a high school student? Opinions vary but early school start times are a medically proven detriment to health and education.

Dearborn school leaders appear to have finally come to that realization and are now asking parents and students to take part in an online survey to determine the merits of changing the high school start time from the current 7:20 a.m. to something later. A time change could be implemented as soon as the 2010/2011 school year.

Now we all know changing school start times can be very challenging for school districts because of busing schedules, kids missing more classes because of early release for sports activities and to parents. Some students also are concerned that being in school later would cut into after-school jobs and extra-curricular activities.

Later start times might also impact teachers, who as adults do not need more sleep to function better. Will these longer days mean less efficient teachers at the end of the day simply because of fatigue?

While difficult to determine, there are many studies that have been done over the past decade that show pushing back start times to allow teenagers to get the sleep they need yields positive results. In no particular order, studies have shown these advantages to students who get more sleep:

• Better grades;

• Less likelihood of experiencing depressed moods;

• Reduced likelihood for tardiness;

• Reduced absenteeism;

• Reduced risk of fall asleep car crashes; and

• Reduced risk of metabolic and nutritional deficits associated with insufficient sleep, including obesity.

We don’t have the exact number of schools or districts that have pushed back there start times over the past five years but the figure is in the hundreds. Clearly, those school districts have deemed it a positive priority to add sleep to the school curriculum at all grade levels.

As there are advantages and some disadvantages to starting later, the online survey by the Dearborn school district is a good way to get input from the community to attempt to tailor a solution that can work for all.

To take part in the survey, which ends Sept. 30, click HERE.

Dearborn High School will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony this Friday at 6:30 p.m. for the school’s $2.9 million athletic complex renovation. The ceremony will take place on the school’s new synthetic turf football field prior to the start of the Sept. 18 football matchup with cross town rival Fordson High School.

Dearborn High School will celebrate its new football field and athletic complex this Friday, Sept. 18. This earlier photograph shows the synthetic turf being installed.

As a Dearborn High graduate, I’m still having a hard time adjusting to the relocation of the football field from the valley to alongside busy Outer Drive. Don’t get me wrong, the field looks great and so do the new stands. It’s just the wrong place for a football field and the home seats are actually constructed on the wrong side of the new stadium (the sun is supposed to shine in the faces of the visiting team, not the home team sideline). In addition, noise complaints from nearby residents have forced the school to turn down the volume of the loudspeakers at the new football field.

We can’t help but wonder what the field would have looked like if the School Board had taken up the City of Dearborn’s offer to pay for the costs of moving clay and dirt from the holes being dug for the combined sewer overflow basins and used it to raise the grass field in the valley.

A Dearborn Schools spokesman confirms the city did indeed make such an offer but it wasn’t as simple as filling the valley up with dirt to raise the field out of the flood plain. The quality of the soil that would have been trucked from holes along the Rouge River to the school was unknown and would have needed testing. In addition, the school district would have had to create a new flood plain in another location to match the exact size of whatever was changed in the valley of Dearborn High. While an interesting idea, those obstacles stopped the plan before it could ever get traction.

For those wondering, the $2.9 million price tag at Dearborn High covered the complete renovation of all athletic property at the school. The athletic complex renovation project began with the west complex in the spring of 2008. The complex includes a new synthetic turf football field, grandstands, press box, concession stand, new tennis courts, new softball field, renovated baseball field and renovated track.

The Dearborn High project is the final piece of a three year district-wide program to renovate the athletic facilities at all three high schools. A great deal of work was accomplished at Dearborn High over the summer. The school held their first gridiron match-up on their new synthetic turf field on Sept. 4, 2009.