THREE RIVERS, Mich. - Consolidation of services is one
likely way public school districts will deal with future budget reductions, the
Three Rivers Community Schools superintendent told the school board recently, according
to radio station WLKM-95.9.
Superintendent Roger Rathburn noted that technology services
already have been consolidated at the county level there, and he suggested that
business and superintendent services may follow suit, the station reported.
"The school systems just can't exist under the old model.
There are not enough revenues to sustain that model and I think most districts
are doing their best to keep the impact away from the classroom," Rathburn
said, according to WLKM.
The Three Rivers district has reduced spending by about $2.8
million in the past four years, the report said. The K-12 spending bill passed
by the state Legislature for the current year cuts school aid by about $165 per
student.
SOURCE:
WLKM-95.9, "TR School Board discusses budget trends," Oct.
13, 2009
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of
Fiscally Responsible Public School Districts: Executive Summary," Dec. 3, 2002