FLINT -- Flint school board members accepted a financial audit Wednesday that shows the district faces a $4 million deficit this year. The board now has to amend its budget approved last summer, which included a deficit elimination plan for $3.7 million.
Some on the board question whether the audit was done properly, saying the deficit is more like $11 million.
David Davenport said the Genesee Area Skill Center accounts for another $7 million in deficit. The district’s auditor said the county-wide vocational program has been allowed to come out of the general fund for more than 30 years.
Last summer, the board approved deep cuts as part of its deficit elimination plan, closing four schools, laying off more than 200 staff and outsourcing non-instructional services.
Davenport said continued cuts will only hurt students in the end.
“This is so serious that next year it's going to be even worse. It's not going to get any better. So this is just how serious it is, but like I said, the most serious part is it's affecting young kids' lives and their education, and that's my main concern,” he said.
Wednesday’s board meeting was the first since Superintendent Linda Thompson gave her 90-day resignation notice last week.
She was not at the meeting.
