Dearborn Superintendent Reflects on Tough Year, Goals Ahead

For Brian Whiston, the 2010-11 school year was memorable for some pretty complex reasons.

Whiston, the superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools, was forced to confront , , white-hot , and getting new programs launched at its buildings amid the worst fiscal environment in recent memory.

“It was a tough year, mostly because of the budget,” said Whiston in a recent interview at his Audette Street office. “It was a long process, and we’re glad it’s over because we can move onto other things that need to get done.”

The school district, for the 2011-12 school year, was forced to cut $10 million from its budget because of cuts from Lansing that were deeper and more complex than anyone thought when they were announced earlier this year.

To balance the books, the district’s the district had to , cut wages and ink a landmark health care deal with its teachers that makes the union responsible for insuring its employees. Under that agreement, the district will pay $997 per month, per union member, essentially capping health care costs for the duration of the contract.

“Negotiations with the teachers was a big part of the school year because it was tied to the budget,” he said. “And our teachers really stepped up to help us out.”

But in the midst of the financial upheaval–mostly due to broad cuts at the state level–the district also made strides in 2010-11 in regards to its mandate–educating children, Whiston said.

One aspect of achieving that goal was the, a program launched in 2010-11 that assists elementary school students in developing better reading comprehension, improved writing acumen, and listening skills.

According to preliminary information, the program is helping students, Whiston said.

“Three years ago we begin the process of going from three programs to one,” he said. “It was costly to have three different programs, (and) secondly we wanted to focus on students being more involved in their learning–making choices and building time spent on reading and writing.”

Though test results will not be available for several months, a survey sent to teachers indicated that 40 percent felt the program was improving reading in their classrooms. Additionally, 86 percent of respondents noticed an improvement in reading stamina and 47 percent said they have noticed an improvement in reading comprehension.

Now that the school year has ended, district officials can set their sights on other goals, the most important of which are improving academic achievement, maintaining fiscal equilibrium and inking a contract with the Dearborn Federation of School Employees, which represents 1,100 non-instructional, non-supervisory staff.

Negotiations with the DFSE are ongoing, and the contract expires Aug. 31.

Whiston said the district is seeking concessions from the union, and hopes to minimize layoffs if possible.

“We already have an unemployment problem in Michigan,” Whiston said. “We don’t want to be part of that problem by contributing to it.”

But above all other issues ahead, preparing students for life after Dearborn Public Schools is the No. 1 goal of the district.

“Academic achievement is the most important of these goals because we want to make sure students are prepared for college or work,” Whiston said before a recent meeting.

One area of concern for the district was the , which showed decreases in proficiency levels at Dearborn Schools from 2010 scores in all areas except writing.

“Of course we’re not happy with the scores. We’re not going to be happy until its 100 percent of students performing at or above a proficient level,” Whiston said. “We think the programs we’re putting into place will improve those results.”