Grosse Pointe Schools Look To Cut $4.6M From Budget; Approve Layoffs

GROSSE POINTE, MI — Grosse Pointe Public Schools is looking to cut roughly $4 million from next year's budget, a move that would include cutting some teaching and administrative positions, board members announced during a Monday night meeting.

One plan introduced by the board during the meeting calls to cut $4.6 million from the budget. The plan would eliminate 15 teaching positions, halt Spanish instruction in grades three and four and cut two communications jobs. Although the board did not vote on the measure Monday night, it appears to have some support as members voted to authorize teaching layoffs.

Trustee David Brumbaugh asked the board to strategically review the plan to gain a better understanding of how the proposed cuts would impact students and teachers. The board rejected Brumbaugh's request 4-3.

A formal vote on the budget could happen at its June 20 meeting, since the 2023-24 school year budget must be approved by June 30. The board plans to resume its budget meeting Wednesday night.

"Our teachers, our counselors, you are putting them on a chopping block for what?" one student said. "A student ratio that hasn't been updated since the 1960s? You are crippling not only my home and school but countless other students. Our clubs are losing advisors. Kids are losing mentors. You are losing the future of your community."

The plan to rollback part of the $103 million budget comes as the district deals with a decade-long enrollment decline. In 2010, the district had 8,390 students, but that number fell to 6,475 students by 2022. The district has also rejected opening its schools up to non-district students as a way to boost enrollment.

The board did unanimously accept a donation from the Stem Foundation of $600,000, which will be used to upgrade a scoreboard at South High School, refresh instruments across the district and upgrade a playground at Mason Elementary School.

Board member Sean Cotton did not vote on the donation, because he has several relations to people who operate the foundation. Other members were skeptical about the donations, and questioned if improving the scoreboard was the best way to spend the money, and how that process was determined.

"I'm not against people giving money to the district," board member Colleen Worden said. "I just want to make sure we all know where the money comes from, and that the process is fair."

Board members debated multiple plans last month to cut between $3 million and $5 million from the budget for next year. The meeting lasted more than nine hours and drew pushback from the community. Members hoped to keep the cuts as far away from the classroom as possible.