5/3/13 - Brighton Area School officials were in Lansing yesterday to clarify just one area of its proposed deficit elimination plan with state officials. The district has been working to eliminate its legacy deficit by the end of the 2013/2014 year. Its latest deficit elimination plan was twice rejected by the Michigan Department of Education. The state felt the revised plan submitted was too optimistic in predictions that $4 million in revenues could be realized by providing shared services with private and parochial schools in the areas of art, languages and technology. Brighton started the shared services program in the current school year and plans on expanding it next year, with the elective classes. Superintendent Greg Gray says that was the only portion of Brightonâs latest plan that was discussed yesterday. He tells WHMI those numbers will remain the same and they will continue moving forward while they await a response from the state. He says they will follow up in writing with the pieces the state wanted to see, including the numbers and the schools theyâre talking to in relation to the numbers. Gray says that will be pretty easy to provide and expected it would be done yesterday. All deficit school districts in Michigan are required to submit regular reports to the state and provide itemized details on how they plan to eliminate their deficit. School Board Trustee John Conely also attended the meeting and has said state officials made it clear that the district needs to resolve their deficit as they are entering the fifth year of being a deficit district.(JM)
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