MASON, Mich. - Anticipated declines in property tax revenue, coupled with rising costs, could lead to cutbacks in staffing and programs offered by the Ingham Intermediate School District, according to a report in the Lansing State Journal.
The ISD board of education is considering eliminating funding for Reading Recovery and the Galileo Early Childhood Center as of next year, it said in a report provided to the Journal. Other potential cuts include eliminating classes in construction, early childhood education, marketing, Microsoft certification and the Lansing Area Manufacturing Partnership, the article said.
In recommending cuts, administrators considered cost, mandates, available alternatives and enrollment, according to the report. Trend data showed low enrollment in the career classes tapped for elimination, the State Journal reported; the district also may reduce career planning and placement services as well as reduce staff in those areas.
Staff workshops and conferences will be cut in half in 2009-2010, the article noted.
"Our organization is not in an immediate crisis," Superintendent Stan Kogut told the State Journal. "However, if we fail to act and take steps to address the situation now, we will be in a crisis."
The majority of the ISD's funding comes from property tax revenue, according to the report.
SOURCE:
The Lansing State Journal, "ISD board considers series of budget cuts," Jan. 25, 2009
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "A Michigan School Money Primer: Intermediate School Districts," May 30, 2007
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