Ann Arbor School Board could vote on plan to address $20M shortfall

Time is running out for Ann Arbor Public Schools to find a way to balance its budget. On Monday night, the school board will vote on a plan to make up for a $20 million deficit.

It comes after two months of uncertainty for the community.

The district revealed a $25 million shortfall for the 2024-25 school year on March 14. A month later, on April 12, the school board approved possible layoffs. That came with strong opinions from teachers and community members.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School in the auditorium. Hundreds of teachers were present at the last board meeting voicing their concerns and disappointments.

"Nobody's getting much sleep, people are worried and scared," Fred Klein, the president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, said.

During the last board meeting, which ran late into the night, tempers between board members flared.

"It seems disingenuous to say were gonna rush to slow down," Board Member Susan Baskett said.

"First- I don't appreciate you calling my request schitzo, it's a very reasonable," Board Member Ernesto Querijero responded.

"That's not what I said," Baskett rresponded.

Teachers are looking for transparency as to what programs will be cut, and who and when layoffs could begin.

"People have taken jobs here and moved here from other communities and now they're not sure what's going to happen to them," Klein said.

During the last board meeting, Querijero asked for a timetable on layoffs, a list of cuts and processes behind the cuts, for potential building sales and what the revenue could be, and a pie chart or graph of the cuts if the recommendations do include layoffs.

The budget and the layoffs have to be finalized by July.