There are 545 local school districts in Michigan and 56 Intermediate School Districts, or ISDs.
Around 50 of those districts were in the red at the end of the last school year.
And that leads to talk of consolidations, of mergers; streamlining, becoming more efficient and joining forces.
But as policymakers, educators and parents debate the merits of consolidation, what about those who will feel what that is like, day in and day out – the students and their teachers?
That’s the question Bridge Magazine writer Ron French explores in his series of reports for Bridge called 13 Miles to Marshall.
When struggling Albion High School closed at the end of the last school year, it meant more than 150 Albion high schoolers had to be bused to nearby Marshall High School. It made sense in business terms for both districts. But what kinds of challenges did this consolidation present? And were those challenges met and overcome?
Ron French joined us today.
Listen to the full interview above.
