Novi Community Schools needs at least 40 veteran teachers to voluntarily leave their jobs by Sept. 27, or layoffs could follow.

The school board voted unanimously Thursday, Aug. 13, to open a 45-day buyout window for 117 teachers in the district's three highest pay grades, a move driven by years of expenses outpacing revenue and the narrow defeat of an Oakland County school millage on Aug. 4.

If fewer than 40 teachers accept, layoffs would start with the lowest-seniority employees, assistant superintendent of talent management and development Laura Carino told the board, according to MLive.

The vote came after more than an hour of public comment from teachers, students and community members who asked the board to delay cuts. Art teacher Erin Harbar, a 25-year district employee, captured the mood.

"Personally, I'm being put in a position of essentially being asked to leave my job to help save someone else's," Harbar said. "After nearly 25 years of service. That is an incredibly difficult and unfair burden to place on an employee."

Board members and administrators responded that no one should feel pressured to accept.

Budget math

Superintendent Ben Mainka outlined the financial picture at the meeting. The district's current budget shows $109.6 million in expenditures against $108.8 million in revenue, with a general fund balance of $11.5 million projected to drop below $10 million by fiscal year's end.

Costs are rising 3% to 4% annually, while state funding increased just 0.7% in the current fiscal year, Mainka said. The district also lost $1.4 million in state funding after declining to waive governmental immunity in the event of a mass casualty, a decision Mainka said 75% of Michigan districts also made.

Oakland County voters rejected the regional enhancement millage 51% to 49% on Aug. 4. Had it passed, it would have provided more than $700 per pupil. As we reported Aug. 5, the defeat left Novi without a significant revenue source the district had been counting on.

Mainka described the district as being "in a state of right sizing" and said he expects finances to improve by the end of the school year.

Other revenue moves

Chief financial officer Becca Scicluna said the district may raise facility rental fees, sports participation fees and other program charges, some unchanged for nearly a decade. Those increases could offset about $500,000 of the general fund deficit.

The district ran a smaller early-retirement incentive in March targeting 15 to 35 employees. Carino said the majority who accepted did so within 48 hours.

What's next

Teachers who accept the buyout can resign or retire between Aug. 21, before school starts, and Oct. 5 if they need more transition time. Those who choose the later date would work as substitutes or in support roles rather than lead a classroom.

The dollar amount of the buyout incentive was not disclosed at the board meeting. District and union officials did not respond to MLive's requests for comment on the figures.

The Sept. 27 deadline is the date to watch. If 40 teachers don't accept, the district has signaled layoffs are on the table.