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Stories indexed with the term ‘AAPS Educational Foundation’

Educational Foundation Marks Achievements

Jim Cameron

Jim Cameron, right, a board member for the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation, gets a tutorial from Travon Larkin-Warren as Rong (Tim) Situ looks on. Larkin-Warren and Situ are sixth-graders at Scarlett Middle School, where the foundation held its annual fundraiser on Saturday. The boys were on hand to demonstrate the My Access writing program, which is funded in part by the foundation.

“Everybody’s proud in the Scarlett Nation!” Ben Edmondson, principal of Scarlett Middle School, proclaimed to the 200 or so people gathered in the school’s cafeteria Saturday night. He could have been talking about the eighth-grade boys who were dressed in suits and leading tours of the building. Or the orchestra that played a solid performance of William Hofeldt’s “Toccatina.” Or the kids who contributed to the school’s first literary magazine, a draft of which was on display in the media center. Or the $11 million that’s been spent on building renovations over the past few years.

Highlighting Scarlett’s achievements was just one goal of the evening for the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation, which hosted the event. It was the nonprofit’s second annual Celebration of Innovation and Excellence, a way to draw attention to the district’s accomplishments as well as challenges, and to raise money for supporting the schools. [Full Story]

Ann Arbor Schools Tackle Looming Deficit

This sign in a hallway at Scarlett Middle School could apply to the Ann Arbor Public Schools budget.

This sign in a hallway at Scarlett Middle School, quoting basketball legend Michael Jordan, could apply to dealing with the Ann Arbor Public Schools budget. Superintendent Todd Roberts and other AAPS officials held a public forum on the budget Tuesday night at Scarlett.

Students outnumbered parents at Tuesday night’s budget forum for the Ann Arbor Public Schools, but only (we suspect) because it fulfilled a civics class requirement. At any rate, the 20 or so people who showed up at the Scarlett Middle School media center all got a lesson in the intricacies of public school funding, and a look at how AAPS plans to deal with an anticipated $6 million deficit in its next fiscal year, with the deficit projected to grow to $12 million by 2011-12.

Approaches include possibly floating a countywide millage as early as this fall, increasing student enrollment through online offerings, and lobbying state legislators for additional dollars and to reform the way schools are funded. [Full Story]

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