By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
LANSING, MI – Governor Granholm has proposed using a surplus of money in the School Aid Fund to fill gaps in the state budget. She also wants to use part of that surplus to encourage K-12 schools to consolidate services.
Brad Biladeau is with the Michigan Association of School Administrators. He says that in some cases consolidating services would do more harm than good.
"The reality is that it could impact not only students' class time, it could impact how long a student sits on a bus, it could impact communities," Biladeau says. "So we've got to be more deliberate and thoughtful rather than looking at just an equation as to how you could save money with consolidation."
Biladeau says the surplus in the schools budget should be returned to districts, because schools took a deep cut last year that has not been fully restored.