School districts state-wide are getting thousands, if not millions, of dollars back from the state of Michigan thanks to the ‘best practices? incentive included in Gov. Rick Synder’s 2012 budget.
According to the incentive, districts across the state would receive a one-time payment of $100 per student if they adopt four of five ‘best practice? stipulations, which include;
n Charging employees at least 10 percent of health care payments;
n Becoming the insurance policy holder on medical benefit plans;
n Produce a plan to consolidate services with cost savings;
n Obtain competitive bids for non-instructional services;
n Developing a dashboard that measures district’s effectiveness.
According to unofficial count numbers, the district has 5,011 students.
For Oxford Community Schools, it would equate to approximately receiving $500,000 back from the state according to Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Tim Loock.
Loock stated in order for the district to receive the money, the Oxford Board of Education would need to pass a resolution stating they were going to comply with the requirements of four of five best practices.
‘Once that is approved by the board, we send that up to the (Michigan) Department of Education, and they begin to process the payment,? Loock said.
The payments help restore part of a $470 cut in per-pupil funding the state enacted in order to help balance the state’s budget.
Loock indicated the district has already built the money into this year’s general fund, so the extra cash will not come as a surprise.
‘It’s not like all of a sudden we are going to have half-a-million dollars we don’t know what to do with,? he said.