Flint School District Debt

The Flint School District is officially facing a $4 million deficit. Sounds bad, but it's actually much worse than that. Blake Thorne of mlive reports that an audit recently revealed that the district is really $11 million in the red.

The budget for the Genesee Area Skill Center is, and has for years, concealed a larger deficit in the district's K-12 general fund, said several board members and Mike Frawley of Yeo & Yeo, the accounting firm which conducted the audit.

The GASC is a vocational program operated by the district but serving students throughout the county and operating as a separate school. 

However, Frawley said, the state considers the deficit to be $4 million and the GASC budget has been allowed to be included in the general fund for more than 30 years.

"We're lying to ourselves," said board member Vera Perry. "We have to stop lying to ourselves and face it head on."

Board member Isiah Oliver agreed, saying the district has to face the deeper structural problems of an $11 million shortfall.

"I'm bothered, not as much at the $11 million, but by the fact that I'm digging to get someone to say that's the reality," Oliver said. "If that's the case, let's just deal with it."

How Do You Spell Recall?

Flint Board of Education member David Davenport was thwarted by poor spelling and vague language on his first two attempts to recall Mayor Dayne Walling. But earlier this month the Genesee County Election Commission finally approved his recall petition.

Kristen Longley of The Flint Journal reports:

Davenport, who also is the target of a recall attempt, now has 180 days to get more than 8,000 signatures, he said.

"If I have to knock on every door myself, I'm going to get it done," he said.

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Mayoral Recall Effort Sidetracked by Lack of Spellchecker

The Genesee County Election Commission has rejected Flint Board of Education member David Davenport's initial recall petition against Mayor Dayne Walling.

The reason?

He spelled a word wrong.

Melissa Burden of The Flint Journal reports:

The three-member commission said that David Davenport’s language “jeapordizing the safety of the citizens of Flint” wasn’t clear.

“I don’t know what this word is,” David Leyton, Genesee County Prosecutor and an election commission member, said of ‘jeapordizing.’ “Therefore, it’s unclear on it’s face.”

“It’s not a word,” added Jennie Barkey, an election commission member and Genesee Chief Probate Judge.

Davenport — who is facing a recall himself and also working to recall six of his fellow Board of Education members — quickly filed new recall language against the mayor.

Recall Fever and the Flint Board of Education

Who knew the Flint Board of Education was such a volatile group of elected officials?

Last month, the board passed a resolution to censure one of their own members, David Davenport. Laura Misjak of The Flint Journal reports:

"The resolution states specific instances of misconduct, including leaking information to the media about a closed board meeting, verbally assaulting staff during meetings, publicly criticizing board members and soliciting private information about students as though he was approved by the board to do so.

Of course, Davenport should have expected a little hostility after he initiated the process to recall six of his fellow board members last fall. Melissa Burden of The Flint Journal reports:

Davenport, who was elected to the board in May, wants to recall the six members because he believes they are violating a district policy by allowing Superintendent Linda Thompson to hold her position, while her brother Bashir, sits on the board.

Just to keep things interesting, a Flint resident turned around and filed recall petition language against Davenport last month.

"The petition reads that Davenport should be recalled for “A) inappropriately disclosing to the media details of a closed meeting of the board, B) verbally assaulting and insulting staff at board meetings, C) violating board policy by soliciting of private student information, D) violating board policy by publicly criticizing individual board members and E) publicly making derogatory and defamatory remarks, statements about public officials," according to the Journal.

Not to be outdone, Davenport set out to recall Mayor Dayne Walling for “jeopardizing the safety of the citizens of Flint.”

Melissa Burden, who is clearly on the Flint Recall beat, reports:

Davenport said he filed the petition against Walling in response to him last week pink slipping 80 police and firefighters due to city’s budget problems.

“As a leader of the city, for me to allow money to be top priority over the safety of the citizens of the city is ridiculous,” Davenport said.