Teachers, parent urge Northville board to draw down large fund balance amid contract talks

At the Sept. 9 Northville Public Schools Board of Education meeting, two public commenters urged the board to reduce the district’s fund balance and to address staffing and schedule changes tied to past contract decisions.

Sarah Tauskas, a Northville Public Schools teacher, told the board that decisions made during the recession reduced teacher prep time and increased class sizes and that the district’s current fund balance has grown “on the backs of the teachers.” She said, “I don't care if you care about me. Your care and your appreciation don't pay my mortgage.”

Tauskas said the district lost a prep hour at the high school and that teachers have taken on what she described as the equivalent of two extra classes. She said the fund balance “has remained over 30%” and argued the historical context matters for understanding current contract negotiations and morale.

Sarah Prescott, a parent of a Hillside student, also addressed the board and urged a deliberate, safe plan to draw down the fund balance. Prescott cited comparative fund-balance figures for nearby districts, saying Novi’s was 13.2%, Birmingham’s 11.4%, Troy’s about 18.1%, Ann Arbor’s 2%, Dearborn’s 8.8%, and Rochester’s 20.8%. She asked the board, “How are we gonna do different now? Why are the numbers you think you're gonna achieve going to be what you achieve instead of what we've seen in the past.”

Both speakers made their remarks during the meeting’s public-comment period; board policy was reiterated at the start of the period that the board would not respond during public comment. The board took no public action on the fund balance or contract terms during the open session that followed these remarks.