[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6226370,"mediaKeyId","3511702-79fa28f5283f806e309b5219320ff4c7","parentId",3511702,"title","Okemos trustees review proposed budget cuts; parents, staff urge keeping librarians and counselors","audioSeconds",544,"startMs",1635000,"endMs",2179000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3511702-79fa28f5283f806e309b5219320ff4c7&start=1635&end=2179","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3511702-79fa28f5283f806e309b5219320ff4c7/thumbnail_1635000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6226370/Michigan/Okemos-trustees-review-proposed-budget-cuts-parents-staff-urge-keeping-librarians-and-counselors","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6226370-6d6ad364333dfa377bd278d070af56a5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160902&Signature=k5jL6QX977KYBusAKk0VTvpfK-whQ2QFN5ZSU6LgJeq14p6DlfV-67ddBCsknIvYnx0yBOzGY539rS13Od0R9P-xLca-bta-Rs2pqsZ5hVAJ9aHL7NyzGNnM5C-BQokrZuZORmZZ5opMCZyH8P2kACJT5nfYYqRpSXL4Daw1kp9otYwbPZEEiPj0bbSc6jqdn4bbeFMZzZR4AgXCTWw9-28gQ8DX9MzO3Zp4LXY37kx~BcrG5TIPsltY~D3Z3bEYj9ioQs2IQa6VuUUJDmvV4YkOpJQENvrHAt9bwmo0ZtVxI-v2G5Pys6W~0t--XQ6TOdDAWM~Sltz32u8TZHlLLQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","The Okemos Channel","date","2025-05-19T00:00:00Z","article","Okemos Superintendent John Hood and his senior staff presented a multi-tiered list of proposed reductions the district could use to close an estimated $1.2 million shortfall in the 2025-26 general fund during a public work session.

The proposed reductions were organized in three levels of severity; level one items are those the administration judged least disruptive, with level three the most severe. Items on the list range from revenue changes (ticket and pass prices for athletics, increased tournaments and co-op fee charges) to staffing adjustments (delays in filling MTSS and counselor positions, reductions in library media center hours, changes to club funding and reductions in building operations staffing).

Several public speakers urged the board to preserve library and counseling positions. Julie Keller, library media center specialist at Cornell Elementary, said cutting hours would harm elementary students\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000access and the district\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\"The LMC specialist position is unique. ... The cuts to the library program, especially at the elementary level, would change the foundation of how we teach our kids how to be citizens of libraries,\" she said.

Chad Decach, an Okemos teacher, told trustees the district should not label the role a \"clerk.\" \"The word clerk doesn't capture everything our elementary LMCs do,\" he said, describing libraries as weekly, curriculum-linked lessons and centers for literacy and equity.

Corey Akers, a high school counselor and union representative, warned that eliminating a high school counselor would push caseloads up toward 500 students per counselor. \"Trying to meet the needs of 500 students, each with their own individual needs and concerns, will put the high school counselors in a completely untenable situation,\" he said.

Administration leaders said the proposed list came after several months of work across directors and departments and reflected the superintendent\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000team\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000final recommendations, and that many requests reflected positions added in recent years for mental-health supports, MTSS coaching and other initiatives.

Superintendent Hood said he favored seeking reductions through attrition where possible to avoid layoffs and noted limits on using bond funds for ongoing personnel costs: \"Our bond money cannot be put towards people in positions. By law, they can't be,\" he told trustees.

Directors and staff answered trustees' procedural questions about specific proposals. Examples include:
- Athletics: raising individual athletic fees (20% increase estimated to generate about $30,000) and family/season pass increases; possible discontinuation of paid coaching-film service unless privately funded; shift to family-funded hotel costs for out-of-area postseason events (estimated $5,000 savings). Trustees asked the administration to provide counts of athletes and how fee waivers for low-income families would operate.
- Libraries: proposed reduction of two hours per day for library/media clerks (elementary LMC specialists would see reduced open hours and program time); community commenters and teachers said the change would reduce weekly class lessons, circulation and enrichment activities.
- Counselors and mental-health supports: a proposed delay in filling an open high-school counselor position and related administrative clerks would increase caseloads and response times; trustees and commenters raised concerns about burnout and service capacity.
- Operations and facilities: multiple unexpected repairs and aging infrastructure contributed to increased 2024-25 costs; the administration noted steps underway (energy-savings bond work, planned summer HVAC/controls upgrades) and said it will provide better forecasting of anticipated repair and contractor needs.

Trustees did not vote on cuts during the meeting. The board asked trustees to rank each recommended item (level 1, 2 or 3, or to remove it from the list) in an online worksheet and return their rankings by the stated deadline; staff will compile the collective rankings and present results at the next meeting. Superintendent Hood told the board he preferred to use attrition where possible and avoid layoffs when feasible, but he reminded trustees that many line items involve people and that all reductions would have service impacts.

The meeting also included routine votes on nonbudget items (authorization for fiber upgrades, Meridian Township easements and ISD electoral representation) and a discussion of a 2024-25 budget revision that the administration will bring to the full board for action at a future meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Education Meeting | May 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Okemos Public Schools leaders presented a draft list of reductions to close an estimated 2025-26 budget gap. Public commenters and several trustees pushed back on proposed cuts to elementary library hours and counselor positions; the board set a short timeline for trustees to rank recommendations and return feedback.","taxTitle","Okemos Public Schools, School Boards, Michigan","taxId",54447,"location","Michigan","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6226376,"Ingham ISD presents $57 million general fund budget, warns districts of special-education funding changes",354,56000,410000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3511702-79fa28f5283f806e309b5219320ff4c7&start=56&end=410","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3511702-79fa28f5283f806e309b5219320ff4c7/thumbnail_56000.jpg","/articles/6226376/Michigan/Ingham-ISD-presents-57-million-general-fund-budget-warns-districts-of-special-education-funding-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6226376-09dfa2ebdd1be1cef66c7b4ae3a52312/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160902&Signature=ArBbhKo4uRlh0WDIAtdqAX6NhugSFlzqGxnvkKABQ1BeLiwUUJVMOfhTzVsOwv2Fvpl5OFB9seDHKczwVD1-0zA5sgACPG6fNXvzlS~QDG6krvelcfEAGHOSwk3thZRI8OVx7Ls6alnuGCyYeaVsgBxpXsOsC3Rn9QjeJsPCD9yVlYuHZskASkGiBQ2A2ob5FLKAlIr-CRFtwZLEYX21XOLSLyTxxaw8yO5YM2Vb-9UApP-1Nkes00L05gBqn8TcP3KttbAOp3Sj1qUNGB0puK-Ljy44AnYKgc6OtnpCNg~AWvi9fq7YL8-ZVBT0sIX4XNDQ9QYwCzKbwAIpicRDaA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent Jason Mallow of the Ingham Intermediate School District presented the ISD\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000$57,000,000 proposed general fund to Okemos Board of Education trustees and community members, describing revenue, expense and recent state-level changes that have affected ISD funding.

Mallow said the ISD\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000expects $2.4 million from a 0.19-mill property levy, roughly $2.3 million in federal revenue and large shares from state sources, and highlighted the growth of early-childhood programming in the proposed budget.

The presentation covered three separate ISD budgets (general education, career-technical education and special education) and the timeline required by state law for local boards to act on the ISD general education budget. Mallow said Public Act 234 of 2004 requires the ISD to provide districts with the general education budget before May 1 and allows local districts to submit a resolution of support or disapproval by June 1; ISD boards must adopt their budgets by June 30.

Mallow described drivers of recent year-to-year variation: an unexpected $6 million increase in GSRP (Great Start Readiness Program) funds, an additional approximately $2.6 million in \"my secure grant 97 gs\" cybersecurity funding the ISD helped secure, and higher substitute-teacher costs. \"We were one of the ISDs that was lobbying for that to make sure that there was better cybersecurity protections for districts throughout the state,\" Mallow said.

On career-technical education, Mallow said federal Perkins funds must be used for CTE programs and noted a new requirement to allocate 0.5 FTE from CTE funds toward additional math supports because countywide math scores for the SAT were below target. The ISD will combine 0.5 FTE of CTE funding with 0.5 FTE of general-education dollars to fund a full-time math support position.

Mallow and trustees also discussed special-education funding. He traced the changes to a state review that identified compliance problems going back to 2018 and noted that litigation over allocation formulas in other ISDs prompted statewide revisions. \"Our funding formula was general education dollars determining how special-education dollars flowed. It's not okay,\" he said, describing a multiyear process to redesign special-education allocations and noting that some districts will see reductions.

Mallow asked member districts to return a resolution of support or disapproval by June 1 so the ISD board can finalize its budget by the end of June. He and trustees emphasized that the ISD\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000will continue to press state leaders on the impacts of special-education formula changes and to seek options to smooth district-level transitions.

While Mallow framed the proposed budget as conservative and informed by the governor's recommendations and the Senate\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000proposal, he warned that final state action and federal uncertainty could change the local picture and urged districts to plan for possible adjustments.","Ingham Intermediate School District Superintendent Jason Mallow presented a proposed $57 million general fund budget and briefed member districts on recent special-education funding formula changes that will shift revenue between districts and may require local adjustments.","actionData","errors"]

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Okemos trustees review proposed budget cuts; parents, staff urge keeping librarians and counselors

Ingham ISD presents $57 million general fund budget, warns districts of special-education funding changes