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Fenton board approves administrator raises, health-insurance renewal and $156,600 plumbing contract amid warnings about fund balance
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Summary
The Fenton CHSD 100 board approved a 4.5% average administrator salary adjustment, a health-insurance premium renewal for 2026-27, at-will and bus-driver increases, and a $156,600 plumbing contract for galvanized piping; one board member repeatedly warned that continued deficit spending tied to the STEM wing will exhaust fund balances.
The Fenton Community High School District 100 Board of Education on April 22 approved several financial and personnel actions after an extended review of the district's fund balances and projected deficits. Motions approved included a 4.5% average increase for administrator salaries, renewal of the district's 2026-27 health insurance premiums, at-will staff and bus-driver salary adjustments, and a $156,600 contract award to Midwest Mechanical for galvanized piping replacement (a $101,300 base bid plus a $55,300 alternate bid).
Staff told the board the district ended its fiscal year 2024 with an operating fund balance of about $24.6 million and that the current balance has been reduced (speaker 26 cited roughly $22.06 million during the meeting). Staff also noted an annual debt-certificate payment of about $2.3 million tied to capital work including the STEM wing that has contributed to multi-year deficit projections if revenues and expenditures follow current forecasts.
"Until we have a balanced budget moving forward, I will not support the expenditure of new dollars that are not related to previously agreed upon bargaining agreements," a board member (speaker 29) said during debate, arguing that the district must avoid further deficit spending and consider a referendum only if necessary. Board leadership responded that the district had planned to use some fund balance to cover capital projects and that the board must continue to operate and fill essential roles while pursuing cost-savings and revenue options.
On specific items: the motion authorizing administrative-salary adjustments (average 4.5%) passed after discussion; staff said the administrators' total salary allocation for next year would be about $2.3 million (down from about $2.468 million previously). The staffing motion recorded one 'No' vote (McCullough) and the rest 'Yes.' The board approved the at-will employee increase (4%) and a 2.9% increase for bus drivers; staff estimated those increases would cost about $50,000 for at-will employees and about $31,000 for bus drivers in additional compensation.
The board also approved acceptance of the health-insurance renewal rates for the 2026-27 school year; the insurance committee reported that the district's proposed PPO, HMO and dental rates were competitive within the Educational Benefit Cooperative (EBC) pool but represented a notable year-over-year increase; staff said changes to coverage or rates would require union negotiation.
Facilities work approved included the Midwest Mechanical plumbing bid: $101,300 base and a $55,300 alternate ($156,600 total); board members confirmed staff expects a $50,000 state match for a portion of the project.
Why it matters: Board decisions commit limited operating dollars while staff projects multi-year deficits driven by debt service, rising salary and benefit costs, and flat-to-modest revenue increases. Several cost-cutting options were outlined during the meeting, including right-sizing staffing to reflect declining enrollment, a proposed 5% department-budget reduction (estimated $270,000-$300,000 in savings), and replacing an expensive contracted athletic trainer (>$150,000/year) with a district hire (estimated ~$90,000/year) to save roughly $60,000 annually.
Votes at a glance: consent agenda (approved, unanimous recorded); administrator salary adjustment (approved, 6-1 with McCullough opposed); at-will/bus-driver adjustments (approved, 6-1 McCullough opposed); piping contract (approved, 6-1 McCullough opposed); health-insurance renewal (approved, unanimous recorded).
