Saginaw Public Schools to Offer Employee Incentive to Help Increase Enrollment

Over the next year, the Saginaw School District plans to enlist staff members to help boost enrollment. Supt. Ramont Roberts explained the plan to Board of Education members, saying it’s been negotiated as part of union contracts. Roberts said an enrollment campaign over the next year will have a goal of attracting 500 more students by next fall, and each school building will have its own target. He said staff in buildings that meet their goal will receive a $500 payment, with a chance to double it if both the building goal and district target are met. All staff will receive $500 if the district reaches the 500-student goal.

Deputy Superintendent for Fiscal Services Tamara Johnson said the district will be albe to pay for the bonuses with the extra state revenue the new students bring in, and still have an extra $3 million added to the budget.

Roberts to school board members Saginaw Public Schools have been struggling with teacher vacancies as the school year gets underway. He said August was competitive for hiring new teachers, with 15 teacher resignations, many a result of new hires receiving an offer from another district.  Otherwise, Roberts said the school year is off to a great start, with no major issues. He said COVID-19 has not caused any interruptions so far, with only case reported from a source outside the district.

Saginaw Board of Education members also heard this week from architects working on plans for the district’s new high school, to be built on the site of the current Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy. It’s still early in the design phase, but plans call for retaining the current building’s fairly new auditorium and gymnasium. The new building will include a 5-story tower that would house classrooms, and rooms dedicated to science, art and music. One feature would be a 2-story “STEAM” lab, which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. It would allow students to work on projects focusing on those subjects. A field house and learning commons or media center are also in the plans. The school board approved two items this week that will help move construction plans forward, relocating a fiber optic cable and environmental cleanup at the site.