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HOUGHTON -- The Houghton-Portage Township Schools Board approved its budget for the coming year and honored retiring teachers at its June meeting Monday.
The estimated fund balance for June 30, 2024 is $4,368,432, up almost $9,000 from where it is expected to stand this year.
Revenues declined by 6.3% to $16,177,432. While student count is expected to increase, state and federal aid is expected to go down, partially driven by drops in COVID funding.
General fund appropriations are at $16,168,606, 1.1% less than last year.
Business Manager Sara Marcotte said the district is replacing three retirees, and also adding two middle-school positions, a behavioral specialist and an assistant principal position at the elementary school.
The retiring staff members were honored during a presentation at Monday's meeting, where they received gifts from Superintendent Anders Hill.
"We are so thankful for the years and the time that they put in," Hill said.
Lisa Ronis, who could not attend Monday's meeting, was a third-grade teacher who had been with the district for 22 years. Robin Dueweke, who taught kindergarten, spent 17 years with the district. Special education teacher Tammy Hoduski retired after 23 years at Houghton.
The district also welcomed several new staff members: Amy Forsell as out-of-school coordinator, formalizing a job she had done hourly for the district; Patrick Aldrich as assistant elementary principal; Janel Summers (previously at the Copper Country Intermediate School District) as behavioral health coordinator; Tim Driscoll as varsity football coach; Nikki Lishinski (previously at South Range) as elementary school teacher; Steve Lishinski (previously at Jeffers) as middle school teacher; and Emily Viola (previously at Dollar Bay) as elementary school teacher.
Aldrich, who had previously served as elementary school principal before returning to teaching, also worked part-time as student affairs coordinator in the afternoon last year.
Driscoll has extensive coaching experience in the area, spending 10 years as Michigan Technological University's defensive coordinator before leaving to start Finlandia University's football program. He most recently worked for a college recruiting program.
Micah Stipech, who coached the varsity team last year, will continue in the program as assistant coach.
In other action, the board:
• Approved collecting 17.2832 operating mills and 9.64 mills for debt retirement for 2023-24.
• Approved up to $30,000 of work to improve fencing on the baseball/softball fields. Hill said when baseball and softball games have been played simultaneously, foul balls have occasionally struck spectators on the adjacent fields.
• Approved the calendar for the 2023-24 school year. School will start on Sept. 5 and finish with a half-day of school on June 6, assuming no make-up days are required.
• Approved repealing the district's Neola policies and replacing them with Thrun policies.
Hill said it made sense for the district to align its policies with Thrun, who the district already uses for legal advice.
Monday's approval does not include the anti-bullying policy, which requires a separate public hearing before being repealed and replaced. That will happen at the July 17 board meeting.
• Approved a two-year renewal of the custodian contract with U.P. Janitorial. The contract includes a 3% increase, Hill said.
• Approved participating in the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
• Went into executive session to discuss negotiations. No action was taken when the board returned.