The School Aid funding crisis continues in Lansing.
Although the House has passed a bill to reduce the cuts to schools during this fiscal year, since early November, nothing has happened in the Senate to make this bill a reality. It appears their focus has shifted away from funding education. We need YOU to contact your elected officials in Lansing, and the leaders in the Senate and the House and encourage them to keep school funding a top priority. Tell them to ACT NOW to prevent damaging cuts to education. Legislators have until December 10 to prevent a significant impact to the December School Aid payment.

What You Can Do:
Keep pressure on the Legislature, not only local representatives, but also the leaders in the House and Senate. Many of you have contacted your elected officials, but we need you to continue to send your message. Join school officials throughout the state and ask legislators to raise the $264-million needed to restore the imbalance in the School Aid Fund. Visit www.sosmichigan.org to see how you can get involved.

How Do These Cuts Impact the Ferndale Schools?
The initial $165 cut in per-pupil funding reduced our 2009-10 budget by approximately $660,000. An additional $100,000 has been cut from Adult Education funding. The second cut of $127 per-pupil brings the Ferndale Schools total loss to more than $1.2-million, 3% of our total budget, in the 2009-10 budget year. If the School Aid crisis is not fixed, each school district in the State faces additional per-pupil cuts in the 2010-2011 school year. Total revenue for the Ferndale Schools could, over the two years, be cut by more than $3-million.

How is the Ferndale Schools Reacting?
The Ferndale Schools is doing everything possible to minimize the effect of these cuts on our educational program. Some of our neighboring districts are considering extreme measures to absorb the impact of these excessive mid-year cuts, including eliminating fine arts, JV sports, media centers and hundreds of jobs. We are committed to remaining a full-service school district. The Ferndale Schools is committed to maximizing revenue. We are cautiously optimistic that we can get through these tough economic times while remaining true to our primary mission of providing quality education services to our students.