Flint Community Schools Explained

Flint Community Schools is a school district headquartered in Flint, Michigan, United States. Its boundary includes almost all of the city limits.[1]

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.[3]

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.[4]

In November 2012, Superintendent Linda Thompson announced her retirement.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

In December 2012, Lawrence Watkins Jr. was selected to serve as the Districts Interim Superintendent.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11] On April 8, 2015, Mr. Watkins announced his retirement.[12]

In August 2018, The Flint Community Schools selected Derrick Lopez, JD as its new Superintendent.[13] One of his first acts was to secure funding from the Elon Musk Foundation in the amount of $480,350 to replace each water fountain in all of the Flint Community Schools with new water stations and two filtration systems: carbon filtration to remove the lead and ultraviolet filtration to remove other chemicals and soluble particulates.

In June 2020, Anita Steward took over the helm at Flint Community Schools. Mrs. Stewart is a product of Flint schools. Before becoming the superintendent, Mrs. Steward was the Assistant Superintendent. She has also been a building principal and elementary teacher in the district.https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2020/06/anita-steward-takes-over-as-flint-community-schools-superintendent.html

As of December 2018, Flint Community Schools have agreed to switch to the balanced school calendar for the 2019-2020 school year. This will affect all schools in the district. Freeman was the only school with a balanced calendar before the change.

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.[14] Both institutions experienced relocation from their original sites.[15]

Schools

Active

High School
Elementary Schools (Grades K-6)

Former

Closed
Demolished
Redeveloped

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Genesee County, MI. U.S. Census Bureau. 2023-05-06.
  2. Web site: Priority Schools List. State of Michigan Department of Education. November 28, 2012.
  3. Web site: Priority Schools List 2011-2012. State of Michigan Department of Education. November 28, 2012.
  4. http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal|publisher=Flint Journal|accessdate=February 11, 2008 http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal|publisher=Flint Journal|accessdate=February 11, 2008
  5. Web site: Flint Schools Superintendent Linda Thompson will retire, submits 90-day notice. MLive.com. 16 November 2012. 2016-04-08.
  6. News: Campbell. Robert. East Village Magazine. November 17, 2011.
  7. News: Thorne. Blake. The Flint Journal. March 28, 2012.
  8. News: Thorne. Blake. Flint Schools Superintendent's Retirement Announcement. The Flint Journal.
  9. Web site: Larry Watkins selected as interim superintendent at Flint School District. MLive.com. 19 December 2012. 2016-04-08.
  10. Web site: Flint schools' Interim Superintendent Larry Watkins resigns. MLive.com. 8 April 2015. 2016-04-08.
  11. Web site: 'Right time' to exit, says retiring Flint schools chief Larry Watkins. MLive.com. 8 April 2015. 2016-04-08.
  12. Web site: 'Right time' to exit, says retiring Flint schools chief Larry Watkins. MLive.com. 8 April 2015. 2016-04-08.
  13. Web site: New Flint schools superintendent inks three-year contract . 17 August 2018 .
  14. Web site: Priority Schools List. November 28, 2012. State of Michigan, Department of Education.
  15. http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2013/03/four_flint_schools_to_be_close.html#incart_river Four Flint schools to be closed, Flint Northern to become alternative school
  16. http://swa.flintschools.schoolfusion.us/ Southwestern Academy – Index
  17. http://brownell.flintschools.schoolfusion.us/ Brownell Elementary School – Index
  18. http://doyleryder.flintschools.schoolfusion.us/ Doyle/Ryder Elementary School - Index
  19. http://dtm.flintschools.schoolfusion.us/ Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary School - Index
  20. http://eisenhower.flintschools.schoolfusion.us/ Eisenhower Elementary School – Index
  21. http://freeman.flintschools.schoolfusion.us/ Freeman Elementary School – Welcome
  22. http://neithercut.flintschools.schoolfusion.us/ Neithercut Elementary School – Index
  23. http://pierce.flintschools.schoolfusion.us/ Pierce Creative Arts Community School – Welcome Home Page
  24. http://potter.flintschools.schoolfusion.us/ Potter Elementary School – Index

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Flint Community Schools".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.