A Message from the Superintendent

Hooray, Spring Has Finally Arrived!
What's New?  What Challenges Lay Ahead?

Hello everyone!  I think we're finally headed in the right direction.  Forecasts are calling for a steady diet of warmer temperatures in the weeks ahead.  This after experiencing a classic old-time winter where we received over 100 inches of snow the past couple months.  Heavy snowfall is beautiful when you're looking out at it from the comfort of an easy chair inside your home.  But it's cause for unwanted headaches and backaches for those who have to drive in it and shovel it, day-after day-after day.  Most of us are happy to say goodbye to winter at this time of year.  We're excited about the arrival of spring, and look forward to the blue skies, sunshine, and rainbow of colors soon to brighten our surroundings.  So ... happy spring everyone!  I hope the change of seasons puts a smile on your face and an extra bounce in your step!

Back in January I saluted the outstanding contributions of past and present students, teachers, and parents.  They've all worked very hard over the years to build a proud tradition of academic excellence here in Mona Shores.  Equally important has been the contributions of talented support staff, administrators, school board members, and community leaders from all walks of life.  Their contributions have built a sterling reputation that's the envy of many others school districts located throughout the West Michigan area.  Our community responsibility today is to continue this worthy effort both now, and in the future.  We must do our part as the next generation to ensure Mona Shores Schools remains the school district of choice for families living and moving into the area.  This is a tall order to meet at a time when growing numbers of K-12 educational opportunities exist for students.  However, it's what it takes to succeed in today's highly competitive educational world.

New District Video:

If you haven't checked out our New District Video, please take a few minutes to do so.  You can find it on our main district web page at www.monashores.net.  The video is about eight minutes long and it's enjoyable to watch.  It focuses on key district programs and services often cited for their special significance.  It also features comments from students, staff, and parents.  The perspectives they share are unique and valuable.  The primary goal of the video is to spread the word about why it makes sense to enroll in Mona Shores Public Schools.  The video helps tell this story.  As a result, the video may be downloaded without permission and shared with others.

Declining Enrollment Continues:

The number of children in the Mona Shores school-community continues to decline.  As mentioned in earlier Lighthouse View issues, the district is routinely graduating Senior Classes of about 300-350 students, while replacing them with incoming Kindergarten Classes of about 200 resident students.  Since school districts are funded on a per pupil headcount basis, the loss of 100-150 students a year creates a real budget problem for school leaders.  While the enrollment limited numbers of non-residents students helps ease this budget pain, non-resident students cannot make up for the much larger number of exiting students being lost each successive school year.  This declining enrollment problem will continue for a number of years to come.  The compounding affect of this multi-year enrollment loss will result in escalating budget pressures that school leaders will have to address in every foreseeable year ahead.

Operational Budget Problems Persist:

Like all districts across Michigan, Mona Shores continues to struggle financially.  State funding increases have just not kept up with inflationary cost increases.  This year, the district is running a near $1 million budget deficit that requires using the District's dwindling savings account to keep the budget balanced.  Next year's budget deficit looks even worse.  Currently, it's projected to reach a near $2 million level.  If this early projection holds true, the Board of Education will be left with no alternative but to approve yet another round of significant program and service cuts.  School district leaders and board members will evaluate changing revenue and expenditure projections all spring long before finally settling on a 2008/09 budget in June.

Future Capital Needs Assistance:

You may have read a newspaper article in the Chronicle a few weeks ago referencing a possible bond proposal being placed on the ballot sometime in the next school year.  This proposal is being considered as a result of the district's ongoing review and assessment of future capital improvement needs.  The timing is great to look into such a proposal because a bond request would not result in a millage hike for residents.  Falling interest rates and a rising taxable value of the school district would pay for a bond proposal simply by pausing or slowing down the district's annual rate of reduction of our current millage levy.  You can expect to hear a lot more about this topic in the months ahead.

Academic Success Still Prevails:

In spite of dealing with annual budget problems that seem insurmountable at times, students, staff, and parents have always remained keenly focused on reaching high academic expectations in the classroom.  Our students continue to lead the way in many West Michigan comparisons of academic achievement scores.  Our student test scores and other measures of academic achievement continue to rise, and our students continue to be recognized for many prestigious honors, awards, and achievements.  Hardly a week goes by without some group or individual student being recognized in the Chronicle for an outstanding achievement of one kind or another.

Please remember you're always welcome to attend monthly school board meetings to stay abreast of important school news and district developments.  Attending these meetings also allows you to provide valuable input.  Don't forget, if you can't attend school board meetings, you can always find meeting minutes on the District's website at www.monashores.net.

In closing, please take me up on my standing invitation to visit your schools at any time.  Once inside you will see first-hand the outstanding student and staff successes I talked about in the opening paragraph!  I hope to see you in one of our buildings soon!

Have a great spring everyone!

Terry L. Babbitt

Superintendent of Schools

(231) 780-4751, extension 8205