Ann Arbor Public Schools district forced to make $25M in budget cuts
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - Cuts are coming to Ann Arbor Public Schools after a $25 million shortfall was discovered during an audit.
Interim Superintendent Jazz Parks shared the news with the community in a letter. According to Parks, an increase in staffing, a drop in enrollment, and staff raises all contributed to the budget shortfall. The district has increased staff by 480 in the past 10 years, while enrollment has decreased by 1,123 students in the past four years.
To address this shortfall, the district plans to lay off some workers in central office and other administrative roles. Hiring will also be frozen, and vendor contracts will be renegotiated.
The district said it will conduct in-dept reviews of all central office, district and school budgets, and request a full assessment of measures the district can take to generate revenue.
"As interim superintendent, I am committed to keeping our families, staff, students and community up to date with information about this situation," Parks wrote in the letter.
Parks said she intends to hear feedback from the community as the district plans its next steps.