Martin, just like Wayland and Hopkins school systems, is anticipating a difficult fiscal year financially in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Samantha Ball, who handles payroll and per-pupil funding duties, presented the Martin Board of Education Monday night with a challenging budget for fiscal year 2020-21. The board later the evening adopted it.

Ball said she is anticipating a reduction in per-pupil state aid funding from $8,111 in 2019-20 to $7,411 because state revenue has dropped as a result of the Coronavirus and economic downturn. State aid by far provides the most funding to public schools in Michigan.

Ball also said Martin is budgeting for a decrease in student enrollment of about 30, to 560, down from 590. In total, the district anticipates a 10.1% reduction in revenue because of the invisible virus crisis.

The grim figures for the proposed budget show $56,573,388 in revenue and $6,054,445 in expenditures, creating a shortfall of $175,195.

So the only option is to go to the rainy day fund, or savings account, and use it to balance the budget. The fund balance, therefore, will be reduced from a robust 18.23 percent to 11.06%.

“Thankfully,” Ball commented, “we have a strong fund balance in order to absorb this shortfall.”

As for starting up school for the 2020-21 academic year, Ball said, “There’s a lot of unknowns, so we’ll likely have to make a lot of adjustments quickly. These are changing rapidly daily.”

In other business Monday night, the board:

• Agreed to offer one-year contract extensions to Superintendent Brooke Ballie-Stone, High School and Middle School Principal Brad Coon, Elementary Principal Dave Hardenburgh and Athletic Director and Dean of Students Robert VanDenBerg.
• Was told by volunteer Becky Lautenschleger that the graduation ceremony last Friday on the football field “was amazing,” and it appeared nearly everyone observed COVID-19 health guidelines.
• Agreed to hold the superintendent’s evaluation after serving one year at the July 20 meeting.
• Accepted the resignation of elementary office assistant Diane Schmidt and the retirement of food service employee Cathy Bogdan.
• Was told by VanDenBerg that the football team has begun summer conditioning sessions according to Michigan High School Athletic Association guidelines. The AD said about 36 to 38 student-athletes have been attending.