Thursday, January 17, 2013
Officials hear on Tuesday that they may be looking at an $11 million deficit in the 2013-2014 budget.
While this year's Farmington Public Schools budget got a $3 million shot in the arm this year, officials will likely face another double digit structural deficit in 2013-2014. Associate Superintendent of Operational Services David Ruhland told board members Tuesday that amended budget numbers reflect the district's position as of Dec. 1, 2012. Changes result from adjustments made to the district's student count, federal funds, state funds and retirement costs. Ruhland said the loss of 27 more students than anticipated cost the district $171,000, but lower than anticipated retirement costs, grant spending, the impact of employee cost-sharing for benefits and other factors resulted in more than $3 million less in expenditures. This year's…
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The six dancers were among students who helped celebrate School Board Recognition Month.
Six third grade students from Beechview Elementary School wowed the audience at Tuesday night's Farmington Public Schools Board of Education meeting, with a Japanese fan dance. Emma Anzivino, Ella D'Errico, Christina Carr, Miranda Burke, Janie Thurston and Lily Schwalm, all third graders, gave up their recess time to practice their dance, teacher MiSuk Drews said. The performance was among several tributes paid by students in honor of School Board Appreciation Month: Additional presentations are expected at the board's Jan. 29 meeting. Correction: The contribution from Power Upper Elementary students was inadvertently omitted from the original list of gifts.
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In addition to K-12 renovations, the Facilities Forward Steering Committee vision includes consolidation of early childhood programs and moving the district's alternative high school.
Farmington School Board members got their first look Tuesday at a report that recommends sweeping changes to every Farmington Public Schools K-12 building, the closure of buildings that house two early childhood programs, and relocation of the district's alternative high school. The public can learn more about the Facilities Forward Steering Committee's vision for the future on Thursday, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Dunckel Middle School Cafeteria, 32800 W. 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills. Officials say public comment is critical to development of the vision, which will be formally presented to officials on Jan. 29. In June 2012, the committee started gathering information about "21st century learning environments", committee member …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Lawrence Stroughter, Jr. begins serving in his new post on Jan. 3, 2013.
Parents, students and Farmington Schools staff sifted through a field of 62 candidates for the position of Harrison High principal, but one man stood out from the crowd. "Although many of them caught our eye," assistant superintendent Catherine Cost told Farmington School Board members Tuesday, "Lawrence Stroughter captured out heart." Cost said Stroughter, who was most recently an assistant principal at Salem High School in Plymouth-Canton School District, used words in the interview process like "I have served students" and "personal integrity." She said he focused on details that would "improve student achievement." "We know that he is the right fit for Harrison High School," she said. After officials unanimously approved Stroughter'…
Thursday, November 1, 2012
During Tuesday's audit review, Executive Director of Business Mary Reynolds says savings came from a variety of sources.
During the 2011-2012 fiscal year, Farmington Public Schools caught a few breaks. Executive Director of Business Mary Reynolds told board members during their meeting Tuesday that the district netted an $800,000 tax tribunal overage paid to Oakland County, underspent grant money to the tune of $1.3 million and saved $218,000 thanks to a mild winter and spring. Added to self-funded insurance benefits coming in $632,000 under projections and wages/FICA/retirement and costs for substitutes coming in $391,000 under budget, expenditures came in about $2.8 million under budget, Reynolds said. Revenues also came in under budget, by $163,000 or .1 percent, she added. Kreger said that while the district finished the year with a $24.1 million fund…
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Recognitions Tuesday include ACT perfect score recipients, a National Hispanic Scholar and Boys and Girls State participants.
Farmington School Board members on Tuesday honored more than 50 students who have achieved special academic honors in a variety of programs. "The level of academic achievement and the great aspirations these students have is truly, truly what makes this community so strong," said Catherine Cost, assistant superintendent of instructional services. Honorees included three students, one from each high school, who scored a perfect 36 composite score on the ACT (American College Testing) standardized test, which measures a student's readiness for college. Rashmika Goswami, Harrison High, Jane Xiao, Farmington High, and Mrigank Gupta, North Farmington High, earned the highest possible score on each of four tests in English, math, reading and …
Three Farmington Schools students earned a perfect score on a nationwide college entrance exam.
Last night, Farmington Public Schools officials honored three students for accomplishing something only a small percentage of students nationwide achieve. Rashmika Goswami, Harrison, Jane Xiao, Farmington and Mrigank Gupta, North Farmington all earned a perfect 36 composite score on the ACT test, which measures a student's academic readiness for college. Goswami, pictured above, was the only student in attendance. We'll have a story later today that lists all of the students honored for academic achievements during the meeting. In the meantime, follow the links below for more information about today's events. We've also included a list of later events that require tickets or registration. Check our calendar for even more activities, …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The district offered a full day orientation for more than 40 staffers who are new to the district this fall.
Students aren't the only ones who get nervous at the beginning of the year. Farmington Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Catherine Cost told school board members Tuesday that the district tried this year to alleviate the anxiety new teachers experience. She said that a high level of turnover resulted in the district hiring more than 40 teachers. "That was an unexpected but a pleasurable experience," Cost said. During a day-long orientation, she added, "we provided a lot of information in an effort to try to support them." The effort appears to have worked, based on a a survey of those who participated. More than 90 percent said the orientation met their needs at least to some degree, and 86 percent reported feeling they had what they…
Thursday, August 23, 2012
An Oakland Schools math education consultant talks with school board members about changes in content standards and assessments.
While new Common Core standards won't be fully implemented in Farmington Schools until the 2015-2016 school year, educators will be using what they have learned in this school year's lessons. Adopted by the Michigan Dept. of Education in 2010, the new set of rigorous standards is shared by 45 states, Oakland Schools Mathematics Education Consultant Valerie Mills told Farmington School Board members Tuesday. "This change that's coming the potential to be the most dramatic and the most productive change we've seen in education since the Dewey Decimal system started organizing books in libraries," Mills said. Common Core content standards focus on the expectations for what students should know at their grade level, without directing how they…
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Two board members raise questions over proposals submitted by firms serving the district.
With a 4-2 vote Tuesday, Farmington Schools board members approved fee increases ranging from 2-10 percent for two of the seven legal firms that serve the district. Board member Karen Bolsen abstained from the vote, saying her husband is a partner in one of the law firms, although he does not do work for the district. At the board's last meeting, secretary George Gurrola asked to see justification for the requested increases, which he feels are inappropriate given the district's current financial challenges. Officials in June approved a budget for the coming year that uses more than $11 million of the district's fund balance to offset declining revenues and increased expenses. "I know our attorneys are excellent … they all deserve a raise…
Sue Burstein
10:17 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
Bad morning Dean? Your kiss the butts of the district is showing through again. more ›