Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RYAN JARVI
Bessemer — Bessemer school officials held a public meeting Monday night to provide additional information regarding the issue of consolidation which has caused confusion and concerns throughout the community.
More than 50 people attended the meeting held in the A.D. Johnston High School gymnasium that followed the school’s Board of Education meeting.
“If there is a vote, or when there is a vote, we want people voting with information, voting with their head and not their hearts,” said Dave Radovich, Bessemer’s district administrator. “We want accurate, current information and then you make the decision based on what’s best for our students.”
Consolidating Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco schools has been proposed by some community members as a way to improve the area’s education.
Advocates have said enrollment in the districts has been declining and consolidation would provide both schools with a better financial position and more to offer its students.
Bessemer school officials have cited studies previously done that project the district’s enrollment to grow over the next few years, and claim the financial savings achieved through consolidation could be done by sharing services with other districts.
Consolidation would need to be approved by a majority of voters in each district involved, not a total votes majority.
Following a failed attempt by proponents to put the issue on the Aug. 5 ballot, and results of a Gogebic Ontonagon Intermediate School District survey that show a majority of respondents favoring consolidation, the issue is still a hot-button item for residents.
Radovich said the schools are bound by the Michigan Merit Curriculums, so there isn’t a lot of room for students to choose elective classes.
He also noted the availability of courses provided through Gogebic Community College as course offerings, and said there were eight Bessemer students taking calculus through the college, a class the school wouldn’t be able to provide on its own.
“It’d be very difficult for a small school to have a class with eight students,” he said. “In fact, our policy states if we have 15 or less we cannot offer that class.”
Bessemer pays the tuition for students to take the classes and shares transportation costs with Wakefield-Marenisco for those courses requiring students to be onsite.
To address the financial situation, Radovich said based on how the state allocates education funding, the highest amount Bessemer would ever receive per student is $7,026, regardless of the amount of taxes paid by businesses and the non-homestead 18-mill tax, or the 6-mill property tax on all homes.
“It doesn’t matter what the tax base is, that’s what we’re going to get,” he said.
The possibility of closing one school could produce savings, though Radovich said the remaining building would likely need to be renovated, which would cost additional money from taxpayers.
Audience members said whether the district consolidates with Wakefield-Marenisco or decides against, taxes would likely go up to cover costs associated with consolidation or building renovations.
However, voters in May denied the district’s 3.9-mill bond referendum for $19.8 million to make improvements to its two schools.
A new building for Bessemer alone would add 26 mills for 30 years to Bessemer residents’ taxes. If consolidated, a new building would be 12 mills for 30 years, Radovich said, relaying information he was told by an accounting firm.
He said there could be savings in the event of consolidation regarding staff salaries, buses, athletics and others, but each would have some type of cost such as purchasing new equipment, meeting staff requirements and aligning the two districts curriculums.
Community members have raised concerns regarding the state taking control over the school and forcing consolidation.
Radovich said that the state cannot consolidate a school district unless the school is failing financially or in teaching its students, and both Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco have positive fund balances. Both also received a “Yellow” ranking through the Michigan Department of Education, which is what the majority of schools in the state are, Radovich said.
The Bessemer school board’s approved budget expects a fund balance of $114,000 next June.
However, questions from the audience addressed the long-term debt of $288,750, which the school pays a minimum of $35,000 annually.
Officials said the money was used for general operations of the school.
In the event of consolidation, each district would keep their long-term debt for three years, then it would go to a public vote and require a majority in each district to join the debt together.
If consolidation goes to a vote and passes, a new board would be chosen by the GOISD board within 10 days following the vote.
“In fact, if we consolidated in August, we would be a separate entity until July 1, 2015, and then that school board would run a single district as a consolidated district until the next school board election, which would be November 2016,” Radovich said.
All employees of the two districts will be let go if the districts consolidate. The hiring would be up to the new consolidated board.
Radovich also told the audience there is no money that has been allocated to either school district for consolidation.
The state made available approximately $10 million for consolidating schools two years ago, he said. Last year it was down to $5 million, and this year it’s at $2 million. However, Radovich said the money can now be used for schools seeking to consolidate services, and Bessemer will likely apply for some of it.
The money would not cover textbooks or salaries.
Wakefield-Marenisco School District has held similar public meetings and sent informational packets addressing consolidation to residents.
Bessemer has also sent 1,600 informational letters to its residents.
