Flint Community Schools

[1] Flint Community Schools is a school district headquartered in Flint, Michigan, United States. For the 2011-2012 school year, the Flint Community Schools had both middle schools, four elementary schools and one high school placed in the bottom 5% of all schools in the State of Michigan based on student achievement and attendance.[2] The school district accommodated a total student population of about 30,000 students. It included two early childhood education centers, 18 elementary schools,and three secondary schools. Other buildings under its operation include the Genesee Area Skill Center,and 2 alternative education facilities.

History

The current mission statement of "developing a community of learners who are prepared to live, work, and contribute to an ever changing society" was developed by Walter Milton, who became Superintendent in 2005. Milton subsequently wrote a book entitled Me in the Making which included a chapter on his stormy tenure in Flint.[3]

In November 2012, Superintendent Linda Thompson announced her retirement.[4] Thompson, 57, is a Flint native who has worked 36 years with the district in several roles. She worked her way up the ranks from teacher to assistant principal, to principal before coming to the administration building and her eventual selection as superintendent. Linda Thompson, a native of Flint and graduate of the University of Michigan School of Education assumed the Superintendentship in 2008 and set about downsizing the District by closing schools. In late 2011 the District was found to be running a deficit of 3.7 million dollars by the accounting firm of Yeo and Yeo.[5] In early 2012 the Flint School Board opted not to extend Superintendent Thompson's contract beyond the current year, citing the deficit and her previous effectiveness rating of 2.7 out a possible 4.0 points.[6] Mrs. Thompson continued on a one-year contract, but in November 2012, on the heels of the discovery of an even larger budget deficit than the year before, she announced her retirement.[7]

In December 2012, Lawrence Watkins Jr. was selected to serve as the Districts Interim Superintendent.[8] Watkins was a longtime Flint School District employee. He graduated from Flint Central High School in 1971 and then graduated from Hillsdale College on a football scholarship in 1975. He's worked for the district, in some capacity, "since I was 14 years of age," he has said. He was a locker room attendant in high school. After college, Watkins became varsity wrestling coach at Central High. In 1986, he became staff assistant for the district's office of pupil personnel services. He held several other positions in the administration office before retiring as director of pupil personnel services in 2012. He also served as director of school safety and security.[9] Larry Watkins helped the Flint School District usher in a comprehensive educational plan, negotiate concessions from bargaining units and collaborate with community organizations to bring back the community education model that put Flint schools on the map. At the same time, Watkins saw Flint schools' deficit grow from $4 million to $21.9 million in a little over two years, thousands of students leave the district and numerous school buildings closed.[10] On April 8, 2015, Mr. Watkins announced his retirement.[11]

The city of Flint's two oldest schools were Flint Central High School (formerly Flint City High School) and Flint Northern High School. Due to administrative decisions and budget cuts, Flint Central High School, founded in 1875, is not currently in operation; Flint Northern High School, founded in 1929, ranked in the bottom 1% of Michigan secondary schools and was also closed in 2013.[12] Both institutions experienced relocation from their original sites.[13]

Genesee Area Skill Center

The Genesee Area Skill Center (GASC Technology Center) in Mundy Township is a regional vocational-technical center in which 11th and 12th grade students throughout Genesee County can enroll in its career preparatory programs. There currently are 21 area High Schools that feed into the GASC.

Schools

High Schools (Grades 7-12)
Elementary Schools (Grades K-6)

Other
Closed
Demolished
Redeveloped

References

  1. ↑ "Priority Schools List 2011-2012" (PDF). State of Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Priority Schools List" (PDF). State of Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  3. ↑ Journal|accessdate=February 11, 2008 http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal|publisher=Flint Journal|accessdate=February 11, 2008
  4. ↑ "Flint Schools Superintendent Linda Thompson will retire, submits 90-day notice". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  5. ↑ Campbell, Robert (November 17, 2011). East Village Magazine. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ Thorne, Blake (March 28, 2012). The Flint Journal. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ Thorne, Blake. "Flint Schools Superintendent's Retirement Announcement". The Flint Journal.
  8. ↑ "Larry Watkins selected as interim superintendent at Flint School District". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  9. ↑ "Flint schools' Interim Superintendent Larry Watkins resigns". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  10. ↑ "'Right time' to exit, says retiring Flint schools chief Larry Watkins". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  11. ↑ "'Right time' to exit, says retiring Flint schools chief Larry Watkins". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  12. ↑ "Priority Schools List" (PDF). November 28, 2012. State of Michigan, Department of Education.
  13. ↑ Four Flint schools to be closed, Flint Northern to become alternative school The Flint Journal via MLive.com, March 13, 2013
  14. ↑ Northwestern High School - Index
  15. ↑ Southwestern Academy - Index
  16. ↑ Brownell Elementary School - Index
  17. ↑ Doyle/Ryder Elementary School - Index
  18. ↑ Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary School - Index
  19. ↑ Eisenhower Elementary School - Index
  20. ↑ Freeman Elementary School - Welcome
  21. ↑ Neithercut Elementary School - Index
  22. ↑ Pierce Creative Arts Community School - Welcome Home Page
  23. ↑ Potter Elementary School - Index
  24. ↑ GASC Technology Center
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