Cash-strapped Michigan district considers school closings

The future of three Redford Union, Mich., schools were in limbo as school officials considered proposals to turn around the cash-strapped district. The school board is trying to decide whether to close two unnamed elementary schools and the Volney Smith Education Center, which houses day care programs.

Also in the Detroit area:

The Livonia, Mich., school district is considering closing two schools to deal with declining enrollments. Livonia is expected to lose overall population when U.S. Census figures are released this month. The city's population may dip below 100,000 for the first time in decades, according to census projections....Related article: By allowing kids living outside the district to attend classes there in the mid-1990s, Dearborn Heights District No. 7 in Michigan increased enrollment from 2,000 to 2,500 and and created a $3 million budget surplus. Each new student brought $6,500 in state funding.