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 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 superintendentteamfinal 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.