ANN ARBOR, Mich. – It’s no secret that Ann Arbor Public Schools is facing significant financial challenges, and everyone’s waiting to see what other cuts could be coming.
The board of education is meeting Wednesday (June 12) to review the next school year’s budget.
They’re setting up inside Skyline High School in Ann Arbor for this meeting, which started at 7 p.m.
It is the first public hearing of the budget for the upcoming school year.
Community members are also expected to voice their concerns.
Just three weeks ago, the board of education voted to slash the district’s workforce by 6% to address a $20 million deficit in Ann Arbor Public Schools.
The impacted staff members were notified last week. Also, last week, the Michigan Department of Treasury identified the district as having potential fiscal stress due to the general fund balance being lower than 5%.
Fast-forward to Wednesday, the $318 million proposed budget for the upcoming school year is on the board’s agenda. It would increase the district’s general fund balance from $4.7 million to $16.1 million from June 2025, putting it at 5.08% of its revenues.
Update: --> Ann Arbor Public Schools face $25M budget gap, resulting in teacher layoffs, staff departures
What contributed to the financial crisis, district officials say over the last four years, they lost about 1,200 students. And despite declining enrollment, staff positions increased by 480 over the past 10 years.
Wednesday’s meeting is the first briefing on the budget, but there will be another one on June 26. The budget has to be approved by the board by the end of the month.
