After more than four hours of discussion, the East Lansing school board voted 6-1 to keep the doors open at Spartan Village Elementary School.
Officials had proposed closing the school to help make up a $3.5 million deficit in next year’s budget. Shutting down the school would have saved $300,000.
Instead, the school board voted to reduce the school from a kindergarten to sixth grade elementary to a kindergarten to second grade school. School officials were unsure if that plan will save the district any money.
School board Vice President Gary Buckberry, who proposed closing Spartan Village Elementary, cast the lone no vote.
“We haven’t put the white flag up yet, and now is not the time,” Superintendent Thomas Giblin said.
Trustee Rodney Stokes suggested a task force be formed to monitor the school instead of closing it.
“All of our work has just begun,” he said. “As a board, we have a responsibility to make sure that they follow up on those programs during the year. That way, we won’t have to deal with an emergency situation this time next year.”
Other sources of revenue and budget reductions besides decreasing Spartan Village Elementary’s size include decreasing the number of teachers at all levels, adding fees for participation in high school sports and extracurricular activities, and changes in the transportation system.
But not everyone was happy to see Spartan Village Elementary’s doors remain open.
“Every other single elementary school will suffer to save one school,” said Michelle Donnell, the parent of a Whitehills Elementary School student. “You made it a K-2 school, which is hardly a school at all, at the expense of all the other elementaries in the district and all the other children.”
The proposed budget reductions approved Tuesday totaled $3.1 million of the $3.5 million deficit facing the district. Officials hope an increase in enrollment could provide $400,000.
School board-hopeful Brett Gillespie organized a rally prior to the meeting to “keep cuts as far away from students as possible.”
“We just want to keep reminding them to put students first,” the East Lansing High School senior said. “We just need to increase communication with the board and the people.”
Budget director Brenda Palmer resigned Friday after being offered a vice presidential position at local financial firm A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. The move caused some eyebrows to raise.
