Aides hit in budget
Aides hit in budget
$113,000
| Charlie West addresses the Marquette school board Monday, urging the board to reconsider reductions in educational teacher’s aide expenditures. West’s son Christopher, 12, is a special needs student dependent on aides who ensure he follows assignments through and completes his homework. (Journal photo by Miriam Moeller) |
By MIRIAM MOELLER, Journal Staff Writer
MARQUETTE — The Marquette school board’s 5-1 decision to adopt the 2006-2007 budget — which includes changes in educational teacher’s aide staffing — left many disappointed at the board meeting Monday.
The revised budget, presented last night by Tim Yeadon, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance, showed $113, 000 in educational aide expenditure reductions — a combination of employee health care benefits and salary savings. This is half of the $326,000 in reductions initially proposed.
“The board members themselves expressed concern,” Superintendent Jon Hartwig said. “They wanted the final adopted budget to reflect their concerns.”
Despite the smaller cuts, many community members still spoke out, asking the board to make the “right choice.”
Valerie Junkkari addressed the board on behalf of her daughter Katelyn who is legally blind and requires an aide who can read braille.
“Any child needs consistency,” Junkkari said. “If you’re switching aides, you’ll see behavioral problems; my daughter needs to have the trust of one aide.”
The changes entail turning full-time educational teacher’s aide positions into part-time positions. The part-time positions provide fewer employee health care benefits, thus decreasing costs for the district.
The reductions in educational aides will affect two groups. The first group is comprised of aides who work with special needs students on a one-on-one basis. They are assigned through a government-mandated Individualized Education Program.
“It could be as many as 14 employees that are full-time now (that may be) part-time next year,” Hartwig said. “It is very common for two people to share responsibilities,” Hartwig said. “The thinking is that not one size fits all.”
The other group affected is the district’s eight educational aides who provide student support to any student who is not required to have an aide by law.
“We reduce that to 3.5 individuals,” Hartwig said.
Hartwig said that he does not know at this point how these measures will actually play out.
Before budget adoption, board member Tony Retaskie asked the board to delete the reductions in educational aides and rewrite that portion of the budget.
“Let’s leave these folks out of this budget,” he said.
Retaskie said he had recently visited Bay Cliff Health Camp where he watched educational aides take care of children with different types of disabilities. He said that that experience strengthened his position to vote against the proposed reductions.
Board president Rich Rossway asked whether the district anticipates problems in finding and rehiring aides after the reductions.
“That will be our next hurdle,” Hartwig said.
In the end, the board adopted the budget as presented with Retaskie opposing it.
“I pledge to monitor the situation,” Retaskie said.
In closing remarks, board member Laura Songer said she appreciated that so many spoke out at this and other board meetings.
“Their input did have an impact on the budget decision,” she said. “I don’t want that communication to quit. Maybe communication is something the district needs to work on. I heard a lot of frustration with the system.”
Previous page: After 50 years, Yelle’s engine is still purring
Next page: Program shaves off pounds