The Macomb School District will hold a pair of community forums this fall as it grapples with a budget shortfall.
Superintendent Patrick Twomey said he wants to go over the budget with the community during the first forum, on October 1. He is hoping for public input about possible budget cuts during the second forum, on November 7.
“If we don’t change anything, we’ll continue to deficit spend because – at least in my crystal ball – I don’t see things getting better at the state any time within in the next couple years,” Twomey said.
Both community forums will begin at 6:00 pm in the Fellheimer Auditorium at Macomb High School.
Twomey projects the district’s revenues this school year will top $24.1 million, while expenses will be around $26 million. He said the shortfall is in the education and transportation funds and is mostly due to declining levels of state support.
“Our General State Aid (GSA) is only being funded at 89% and we took a 40% hit in transportation reimbursement,” Twomey said. By “89%,” he means the district is due to get 89% of the state funding it received the past couple years.
He said the Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV) of property in the district remained flat the past year, which is also hurting the district’s bottom line.
Twomey said around 60% of the district’s revenue comes from local sources, the state’s contribution is down to 33%, and the other 7% comes from the federal government.
