Community leaders say they are looking at long-term solutions rather than quick fixes for the budget troubles in East Lansing Public Schools.

Hampered by funding dilemmas, the Board of Education has been left with the duty of putting back together the pieces of the district's long-term puzzle.

"We can reinvent the schools," said Bill Donohue, secretary of the school board and an MSU communication professor.

Working closely with programs such as a lab preschool program and to work on a math, science and arts curriculum presents an opportunity for district schools to strengthen relationships with MSU, he added.

He said another solution could be to combine school districts with schools in districts such as Okemos, Haslett and Williamston. In order for that to occur, people within the intermediate school district would have to vote for the consolidation.

"Combining resources could help enhance the districts," Donohue said.

The 25-point plan presented by administrators plans to overcome a $4.2-million shortfall in next year's budget by restructuring the district and creating a more efficient district, Superintendent Tom Giblin said.

The restructuring plan would close Spartan Village Elementary School and form a clustering format. The structure keeps six elementary schools including four buildings with kindergarten through fourth grade and two other schools with only fifth and sixth grade. The plan would also change MacDonald Middle School to a junior high format and go to a six-period day.

Giblin also hopes to attract more school-of-choice students, who choose to attend school in a different district than their home address would send them to and to look for ways to gain revenue from adverting.

"We think this is a model that will work for eight to 10 years," Giblin said. "We've looked at many different options but we think this will work if enrollment increases or decreases."

Board President Barbara McMillan said the board has been listening to concerns for weeks and has added extra meetings to hear more community members voicing ideas and concerns over programs.

"Some of these issues are very hard to decide," she said. "But, it's meant to be a sustainable plan.

"It's a very serious problem and it's hard to grasp it. And I think the reason is that people don't want to believe it."

To help boost enrollment, city officials have formed a philosophy to encourage more families to move into East Lansing, City Manager Ted Staton said.

"We're trying to strike a balance," Staton said.

New housing recently approved could generate 300 to 400 new children for the school district, he said.

"It's a very high priority to generate more kids for the school district," he said.

Also new apartment complexes have helped give MSU students more options and as students move out of single-family homes, the downtown area can become more diverse with more families, Mayor Mark Meadows said. A proposal for senior housing is also been proposed, he said.

"We want to see a mixture of age groups in the downtown," he said.

While schools are facing decreased funding in the midst of the state's deficits, Rep. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, said she is meeting with parents and community members to educate them on funding procedures.

She said the state needs to figure out a way to increase revenues and avoid using taxes such as the tobacco tax.

"We need to find a revenue stream that is static," she said.