Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com

Brighton’s football stadium is getting new security cameras, and the District’s budget had some big changes to it due to state adjustments.

Dave Jones, Assistant Superintendent of Finance, presented the new numbers to the board during Monday’s meeting following the state budget being released to districts around Michigan.

Due to the changes made at the state level, there is no increase in the per pupil foundation allowance amount for this school year, Jones said. Brighton currently receives $9,608 per student. Traditionally it has been a 3% increase every year, but the district originally budgeted for a 2.5% increase. He said the lack of change would be about $2.4 million in revenue that the district won’t get.

The state decreased the 31aa Mental Health Grant by 50%, according to Jones. The district received over $2 million last year. Jones said it was originally proposed to decrease the amount by 90%.

The 31aa grant helps districts across Michigan support student mental health and safety by allowing additional funding to be used to pay mental health staff.

While the district didn't see the expected increases in areas such as per pupil foundation allowance and the mental health grant, Jones said overall the changes had an overall positive impact on the budget of around $400,000.

Due to the foundation allowance staying the same, each district will be given a one-time payment out of the retirement fund. The amount is determined by taking 5.7% of last year's employee salaries. For Brighton, that means a payment of around $3.1 million, Jones said.

The Brighton School District received about $82,000 more in grants than they budgeted for, along with a decrease in the enrollment trigger. This decrease will save the district around $900,000.

During the Superintendent report, Technology Director Nick Casteel requested that the board approve buying 14 additional cameras, which will be mounted around the stadium to address blind spots pointed out by law enforcement.

The cameras will cover the back of buildings at the stadium, the stands and at coves between buildings. Casteel said the cameras will help with security not only during games, but also during regular class time.

Three bids were received, with inaCOMP having the winning bid of $33,382.49. When asked why the bids had such a large range, with the cheapest bid being $9,750 and the most expensive being $41, 717,36, Casteel said the two more expensive options would work with the existing system the District uses. The cheapest option runs on a cloud-based system.

The request passed unanimously.