ISHPEMING — Ishpeming Public Schools is looking at a balanced budget for the 2018-19 school year.

In June, the board of education approved revenues of nearly $8.52 million and expenditures of slightly more than $8.57 million for a deficit of roughly $55,800. That was to be taken out of the fund balance, which was about $287,300 as of July 1, leaving an expected fund balance of around $231,600 for July 1, 2019.

However, those figures are expected to differ soon with an upcoming change in teacher staffing, said IPS Superintendent Carrie Meyer.

“As those staffing arrangements are folding out, it looks like — and we knew this in June but we couldn’t put it in the budget at the time — that we are going forward with a balanced budget for next year,” Meyer said.

Final figures, though, have yet to be determined.

“We have interviews coming up on Monday,” Meyer said. “We’ll find out where they fall on the pay schedule and how that’s going to play out.”

Meyer pointed out that new hires typically come at a lower rate, which is what is anticipated. She also said that the hiring will take place by Aug. 20 and the budget will be modified later.

Emergency Response Plan

One of the major efforts on which Meyer has focused in the last six months, she said, is the district’s emergency response plan.

Meyer has been reviewing templates and discussing handbook updates with Teresa Schwalbach, Marquette County Emergency Management Program coordinator, and community service trooper Stacey Rasanen, who works out of the Michigan State Police Negaunee Post.

“One big thing that they advise me to put into our plan is our reunification plan,” Meyer said, with that plan to include a two-sided card sent home to parents with a description of reunification.

She defined the term as reuniting parents with children in the event of a tragedy.

“Sometimes it can be very confusing, and not very organized,” said Meyer, who noted Schwalbach and Rasanen suggested a standard reunification method be included in the district handbook.

The reunification cards, along with letters, will be sent to students’ homes, and those cards are to be returned to the district and divided into grade levels, she said. That means if something happens, staff can access the cards, separate teachers by grade levels, and put up staging and a meeting spot for better organization.

Rasanen said law enforcement agencies, including the county’s emergency management program, have been working with all area schools on their school safety plans.

“We’ll continue training and planning with schools in our community,” Rasanen said. “We are getting to know administrators and teachers so they are comfortable to call if there is a problem.”

That’s just one of the action items suggested for the district, Meyer said, with maps updated and doors numbered.

“We’ve kind of put a process in place for communication, going through our School Messenger to keep parents updated on processes to follow,” Meyer said.

School Messenger is a telephone broadcast system that enables school personnel to notify households and parents by phone within minutes of an emergency or unplanned event that causes early dismissal, school cancellation or a late start.

Meyer also held a recent stakeholders’ meeting, which included city police and fire personnel, to collect feedback so she can make modifications to the plan. It is anticipated the plan will be approved at the Aug. 20 school board meeting.

Other events have been set up in the district.

Meyer said that professional and support staff training to handle an active shooter situation is set for Aug. 29.

“Local police will be involved with training our staff how to handle an incident that may happen,” Meyer said.

A presentation for teachers on the confidential tip program OK2SAY is scheduled for Aug. 30.

The program allows anyone to anonymously report tips on criminal activities or potential harm directed at Michigan students, school employees or schools.

OK2SAY presentations for students have been set up for September at Birchview Elementary School and Ishpeming Middle/High School.

“We’re wanting to make sure that staff and students, parents, feel like our school is safe, and we’re prepared if any situation is able to happen and make sure that our law enforcement is very familiar with our plan so that we can partner with them in any situation that arises,” Meyer said.

Strategic plan formed

Through the winter and spring, staff worked on its strategic plan for 2018-23, Meyer said.

Goals have been established in five areas: academics/programs, personnel/leadership, operations/finance, learning environment/culture and communications/community engagement.

First-year objectives include expanding arts opportunities; exploring data-driven programs in science and writing to increase student achievement and growth; exploring, identifying and pursuing grants for individual professional development; increasing one-to-one technology; examining and discussing start-time changes and options; exploring options for creating and improving outdoor spaces; and initiating a meeting of involved groups regarding curb appeal and blight improvement.

The district’s mission statement, according to the plan, is to “prepare all students for lifelong success with the support of our Hematite family.”

Ishpeming Public Schools is benefiting in another way, this time through technology and improved infrastructure.

Meyer said that through an anonymous donation, over the last several years the district has been able to update its infrastructure at Birchview and Ishpeming Middle/High School. It also has purchased 215 new Chromebooks and 30 iPads for classrooms.

Birchview Elementary will receive the iPads and some Chromebooks, with the middle/high school getting the Chromebooks.

“Infrastructure now is all updated so we have the ability to have classroom sets of 30 in each classroom without any problems on our Wi-Fi, so it’s exciting news,” Meyer said.

For more information on the school district, visit ishpemingschools.org.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.