‘See the district be more proactive'

Jeff Long thinks Huron Valley gets the short end of the stick in funding. Despite that, Huron Valley has success educating its students.

The White Lake man, one of nine candidates seeking one of two seats on the Huron Valley Schools Board of Education in the Nov. 8 election, said addressing the funding inequity among school districts in Michigan would go a long way in ending Huron Valley's financial struggles.

“We need to try to influence legislators to reform funding for all districts, said Long, 47. “Huron Valley is on the low end statewide. We do perform well. We could perform even better if we had the average funding as far as districts get in funding.”

Seeing the direction the state Legislature is taking toward education prompted Long to seek office. Using money from the school aid fund for community colleges and charter schools, he said, compounds funding issues districts have already faced. “If you can correct the funding inequalities, that's short-term and long-term fixes,” he added.

Building improvements are another way to save money down the road. A member of the middle school committee last winter, he learned more about the efficiencies of various buildings. Making buildings more energy-efficient will drop utility costs and lessen the financial constraints the district is facing.

Many buildings are designed in an inefficient way, he said. Using Lakeland as an example, the new front entrance has a vaulted glass front stretching close to 50 feet high. Country Oaks is another example with large outside glass walls.

“Inherently, glass, while beautiful, is not a good insulator,” said Long. “It transfers heat through it easily.”

Alternative energy sources are another option to consider, whether solar, wind or geothermal. Greywater systems can recycle water and reduce costs from pumping even more fresh water or sending it to a wastewater treatment plant. An added bonus can be “to incorporate those systems into education with advanced technologies,” said Long.

There's a number of state and federal grants available, according to Long, to improve energy efficiency.

“We need to take advantage of them before they disappear,” he said. “It helps long-term. That's more money we can spend on education.”

Such improvements would come at a cost, Long noted, but the up-front costs would be worth it.

“With the increased costs of utilities, I'd like to see the district be more proactive. There's no question there's an expense involved,” he said. “It's a long-term, open-ended investment. Most all building improvement is done through bonds and millages. Citizens have been very accommodating in this district when they see the spending is responsible.

“The district does not have the money in its general fund. It we can show the benefits to the public ... I think they may be welcome to it.”

Long, who was endorsed by the Huron Valley Education Association, the district's teachers union, said he pursued that endorsement because he is member of the local electrical union, and he opposes privatization. In the long run, he said, privatization does not save money, and many of the current district employees live in the community.

“Any time a company takes a dollar of profit, that's a dollar not being spent in education,” said Long.

Long said he doesn't think the community is divided. While there's a vocal number of parents expressing their concern, he said he doesn't see it. There is, however, always a rivalry between the Milford-Lakeland set. “I think that's a good rivalry,” he said. “It's good for our district.”