deficit elimination plan

Flint's Board of Education can't agree on which schools to close this fall

Steve Carmody — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:15:53 +0000

Flint’s Board of Education last night deadlocked on plans to close a half dozen schools next fall. The board argued for more than five hours before giving up hope of agreeing on which middle and elementary schools to close.

Board member David Davenport strongly opposed two different proposals which would have closed the districts three middle schools and three elementary schools, most on the city's northside.

"That's not fair to the children who are going to suffer," said Davenport, "Because they're going to be packed in or bussed somewhere else."

Several board members also expressed concerns with expanding the student populations at Flint's high schools to include 7th and 8th grade students.

Next year the school district is looking at a $19 million deficit. Closing schools is critical for the district to stay within a deficit reduction plan submitted to the state. A point that several Board of Education members repeatedly cited.

"We’ll just have to go back to see if we can craft it so that we get one more vote," said board member Harold Woodson after the meeting, "That’s basically what we need. One more vote to get it moved forward so…..but it has to happen.”

And it has to happen quickly.

The Flint Board of Education will soon have to pass a budget plan for next year. That plan will require decisions to be made as to which schools will be open this fall.

One member of the public told the board members that they were in a "pickle". A statement none of the board members appeared to disagree with.

Flint school officials start the process of deciding which schools to close

Steve Carmody — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:30:17 +0000

Flint school board members have started weighing their options for closing schools later this year. They didn’t like the options they were given last night.

The two options presented to the school board last night included closing three elementary schools, one or two middle schools and possibly a high school.

Flint school board sending deficit elimination plan to state today

Steve Carmody — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:01:01 +0000

The Flint School District will deliver its deficit elimination plan to the state today. But a long-time critic doubts the district’s administration will be able to make the plan work.

State law requires local units of government that finish their fiscal year with a deficit to send a ‘deficit elimination plan’ to the Treasury Department.

Deficit reduction: A conversation with Senator Carl Levin

Jennifer White and Zoe Clark — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:35:42 +0000

Michigan Democratic Senator, Carl Levin, has proposed a 7-point plan to reduce the federal deficit by at least one trillion dollars over 10 years. His proposal comes amidst discussions within the special bi-partisan subcommittee charged with balancing the federal budget. Several of the points in the plan deal with closing tax loopholes that benefit corporations and wealthy Americans. Is it possible to move those points of the plan forward in the current political climate?