Traverse City Record-Eagle

Election 2011

November 2, 2011

Two vie for Benzie school post

Both candidates say they are 'pro-teacher'

BY JAMES RUSSELL jrussell@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — One is a retired Marine. The other is a mother of a special-needs child.

Tyson Burch and Lorene Hill Cota — both parents of students in Benzie County Central Schools — are vying for a single vacant spot on the district's board in the Nov. 8 election.

"I just feel I have something to offer," said Burch. "I'm really concerned about what's going on."

Burch has three daughters. He served 20 years in the Marine Corps, including two tours in Iraq. Since retiring in 2007, he's worked in security at Traverse City West Senior High School.

Burch is worried about Benzie Central's declining enrollment numbers. The district lost 58 students this fall, and fewer students means less money from the state.

"To stay competitive, it's like a business. If you want money from the state, you have to have kids. If you want kids, you better have the best education to offer them," he said.

Burch said that for Benzie to compete with other districts like Glen Lake and Traverse City Area Public Schools, the district needs to put an emphasis on advanced placement courses and athletics.

"It's like getting more customers as a business," he said.

Cota agrees that declining enrollment is a concern, but she said it's important to figure out where students are going.

"Where did they go? Frankfort, Bear Lake, Traverse City? The question has to be framed in terms of, 'Did they go to alternate districts or did they leave the state?,'" Cota said.

Cota is a title examiner in Beulah and a mother of four. Her youngest is a special-needs child who attends Oak Park Elementary through the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District. Her oldest is a Benzie graduate, and two other children are still in the district.

Cota said she would bring an important perspective to the board as the mother of a special-needs child.

"We need to make sure that our need to be economical as a school district is balanced against the needs of those kids," she said. "We accept as special-needs parents that our kids have to get to Traverse City for school in many cases, but would we accept two-and-a-half hour drives for our regular-ed kids? I don't know."

Both candidates describe themselves as "pro-teacher," and expressed concern about decreased funding from Lansing. Cuts enacted in June dropped the state's minimum per-student foundation allowance to $6,846, reflecting $470 in cuts. Districts are eligible for $100 per student to help offset rising retirement costs and also may qualify for an additional $100 per student if they achieve a number of so-called "best financial practices."

In Benzie, funding cuts prompted difficult decisions. The district considered eliminating busing for seventh through 12th-graders, but ultimately decided against such a drastic turn.

Instead, the district approved laying off teachers, an elementary counselor, custodians and a half-time principal position.

"They really beat up on transportation and custodians this year," Burch said. "It's down to bare bones right now."

The budget also consolidated bus routes, so some students wait for a ride from a common bus stop with other students.

"It's tough having depot stops in a rural community," Cota said. "People are not close enough to walk to a spot with five other kids."

Cota served on the district's curriculum committee with teachers and administrators, balancing the educational needs of the district with state funding and requirements. But she decided it was time to run for the board.

"I've been attending school board for years, and I felt like you can't really complain unless you're seeing what's going on firsthand," she said.

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