The Niles Star

10 Brandywine teachers take advantage of retirement incentive

By AARON MUELLER
Niles Daily Star

Three more Brandywine Community Schools teachers took advantage of retirement stipends from the school district and incentives from the state of Michigan, bringing the total number of retirees this year to 10.

The 10 teachers, whose experience totaled a combined 290 years in the district, will receive a one-time payment of $10,000 from the school district.
Retiring this year are: Steve Pischalko, Kathy Baker and Sheri Willems (Senior High); Marianne Davis, Connie Hughey (Middle School); Muriel DeCloedt, Fran Nyikos, Meri Mehaffie, Linda Stokman (Brandywine Elementary); and Joyce Maager (Merritt Elementary).

The retirements allowed Superintendent John Jarpe to recall all but one of the 17 teachers who were laid off earlier this spring in an effort to repair a $1.4 million budget shortfall.

But Jarpe said the retiring teachers will be missed greatly.

“Two-hundred-ninety years. That’s really tough,” Jarpe said. “Some of these people go back to the very early days of Brandywine. They were ‘go-to’ people that we’re really going to miss.”

Jarpe said the final budget for next school year is set and the board will vote on whether to adopt it at Monday’s Board of Education meeting. A budget hearing with time for public comment will take place at 6:45 p.m. before the vote.

“It’s a fairly conservative budget that does anticipate further reductions in state aid,” Jarpe said. “It’s easier to budget looking at what could be a more dire scenario, and then if and when the cuts are not so drastic, we can do amendments and breathe easier.”

Resignations, retirements, adjustments in transportation and cuts in athletics helped balance the coming year’s budget, according to Jarpe.

Jarpe, whose contract was renewed through June 2012 at a recent board meeting, called the past few months “challenging for the administration, board and the community” as they worked out the budget.

“But that’s what summer’s all about,” Jarpe said. “We are now ready to take on the challenges that come our way next year.”