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Interview of Auxiliary Service Manager

Elizabeth Tallent
Oakland University Education Specialist Program
EA8840 School Business Management
Dr. C. Suzanne Klein
March 16, 2020
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Interviewing Trevor Harker, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Supervisor, was an

interesting proposition. The only time he would make available to meet was in-between another

meeting we were attending that afternoon. Therefore, after teaching in the morning and meeting

with the substitute to go over the afternoon lessons plans, I ran out to my car and drove to a

Panera restaurant on Telegraph Road. I ordered lunch, found my supervisor in a booth by the

door, and between bites, we talked about the DHH budget.

It suffices to say that this meeting was quite different from my meeting with the finance

director. Trevor Harker was not as transparent as Karen Hildebrandt was during her interview.

He held a stack of papers about a ¼-inch thick in his hands and pulled a few to show me how he

submits the budget. When I peered over at the papers, he held them up away from my view. “I

just want to make sure I don’t have any private information…,” he said as he thumbed through

the pages.

The paper he produced was the Oakland Schools Budget Review District Name: Fiscal

Year Ended Hearing Impaired HI Projected Headcount. The paper was blank, but he emphasized

that this paper was very important. He explained that the monies for the program that come from

the state go to the Oakland ISD and in turn, are distributed to the program. The DHH program

has 65 students from pre-K to 12th grade and services are allotted according to the per pupil rate.

For example, the program allows for one teacher and one aide per seven students, one supervisor

and one secretary per 70 students. This is explains why Trevor Harker is the supervisor for all

special education staff, not just DHH (which means he is spread thin).

According to Harker, the proposed budget is approximately 4.2 million dollars. This

includes classroom aides, salaries, benefits, purchased services, supplies and materials, capital
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outlay and other expenses. “The top priority of this budget is certified staff to meet the needs of

the students,” he said. This follows Bloomfield’s second strategic goal to provide all students

with what they need to reach their full potential. Yet, the high school only has two teachers to

fulfill the graduation requirements of about 17 students. Out of the 17 students, one student is

mainstreamed for all classes, except academic reinforcement. “Budget constraints are

determined by the number of students in the program, the more students in the program, the more

money there is to support education. As the number of students has decreased, the budget has

decreased but the needs remain the same,” said Harker.

Teachers must teach multiple classes to students with varying reading levels and

educational needs, it is difficult to keep up with differentiating lessons that range from reading

skills from 2nd grade to 7th grade. “Indeed, chronic shortfalls in special education funding are a

major reason why so many schools, in Flint and across Michigan, struggle to maintain regular

instructional programs; to offer compensation needed to attract and retain qualified teachers and

to provide the counselors, nurses, and academic and non-academic supports students need”

(Arsen & Sciarra, 2019). 

The finance department and the district cabinet administration directors approve big

purchases. According to Harker, the program is effective if student data indicates that the DHH

population is meeting their needs, then “…we are meeting our goals and the budget is effective.”

Most of the DHH population come from neighboring districts. These districts pay a tuition fee,

approximately $50,000 per student, however Harker said that Bloomfield does not charge them

for the rental of the rooms or supplies. This is Trevor Harker’s first year in this position. His

goal is to get to know the students and their needs, as well as the staff. He says the program has

room to grow. “Knowing the budget allows me to get a bird’s eye view of our available supports,
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and determine how best to utilize the funds to create a program that is based on the needs of the

students,” Harker commented.

“Are those papers for me?” I asked. Trevor Harker flipped through the pages of the

papers he held in his hand, then he gave them to me. We had just enough time to clear our table

and leave for the meeting. Later, when I looked through the papers, I found them all to be blank.

I emailed Karen Hildebrandt to ask if there was a place on the website to see the DHH budget,

and she said to get it from Trevor. I told her my predicament, and she said that maybe I was not

clear and that I needed the budget. I emailed Mr. Harker, but in the meantime, Karen

Hildebrandt sent me the actual budget as of June 30, 2019. The actual budget was $3, 532,504.40

with totals that included transfers and outgoing services totaling $390,310.36. I am not sure if

there is a break out of these costs, but I am sure, it will be easy to finagle. This would go with

Bloomfield’s third strategic goal third to establish a culture of trust by empowering the voices of

all employees.
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Works Cited

Arsen, D., & Sciarra, D. (2019, December 20). Fix special ed funding to help kids across
Michigan. Retrieved from Detroit Free Press:
https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2019/12/20/special-education-
michigan-school-funding/2677277001/