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Lansing School Administrators presented a plan to add about $290,000 worth of operational and instruction positions in the 2015-2016 budget.  After years of reductions Business Administrator Mary June King says this is the first time new instructional positions have been added in at least seven years.  She said that with $240,000 in cuts, mainly due to retiring employees, the new positions will only cost the district a net $50,000.

"The rollover budget presented to you two weeks ago was projected at $28,650,000," King said.  "The projected budget with these additions is $50,000 more.  It's really an instructional program growth of $290,000 value that we can get for less than $50,000 because of the reductions, some related to retirement breakage.  That is something we expect to see in the next few years, some retirement breakage planning."

Only two new actual teaching positions are being proposed, one full and one half time.  Another teacher, a new AIS teacher in the high school at $72,000 is being proposed as a 'Phase Two' consideration as well as restoring the Middle School summer program at $32,000.

The big ticket item is a High School Dean of Students, estimated at $100,000.  The 'Assistant Principal' position was cut in 2010.  The Dean of Students position would replace that.  Superintendent Chris Pettograsso said she is recommending that Adam Heck fill the position, while also retaining his current Athletic Director position, but leaving his Physical Education teaching responsibilities behind as well as only coaching one team per year.  She said depending on how the position is worked out he may have to obtain administrative certification, but noted that no details have been set.

A Dean of Students position would be changed from a TA position to a teacher, for an additional $40,000.  In the Middle School administrators want to add a masters of Social Work.  Two teachers would also be added, an elementary school teacher at $72,000 and a half-time middle school teacher at $28,000.  

The proposal also changes a Cleaner position to a Buildings and Grounds Custodian, and adds an aide and an administrative assistant to the Transportation Department.  The operations additions total $108,000.

King said that she is planning next year's budget to be under the state tax cap requirement, which means that school taxpayers will likely receive rebate checks again next year.  Part of the new requirement to qualify for the rebates is that districts must show they are saving at least 1% of their budgets by using shared services.

She also said she is conservatively assuming state aid will be at the current year's levels, while hoping that legislatures pushing for the end of the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) will be successful, restoring aid that was promised to school districts but withheld over the last several years.

If approved by the Board of Education the projected $28,700,000 budget will mean a 3.16% rise in the budget, a combined levy rise (property taxes and PILOT revenues) of 3.47%, a tax levy increase (just property taxes without PILOTs) 3.77% and a tax rate rise of 2.76%.  The tax cap requires that the tax levy be below 3.92%.

"We would see instructional program growth for the first time since I started working here," King said.  King joined the Lansing district in 2008.

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