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

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 studentsaccess and the district"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…