District budget problem topic of listening sessions

In an effort to involve the community in creating solutions together to the Birmingham Public Schools' (BPS) $14.3 million budget shortfall, BPS Superintendent Dr. Embekka Roberson is holding two listening sessions.

The goal of the listening sessions is to have community members meet in small groups to share thoughts, generate ideas and focus on solutions in order to help the district in their work to keep Birmingham Public Schools an exemplary place to learn and grow for all students.

Birmingham Public Schools, which recently discovered a $14.3 million budget shortfall due to a variety of factors, including an over-levying of property taxes, is working on improving both its short-term and long-term financial sustainability as well how the district can move forward and address the issues which contributed to its financial problems

On Thursday, April 21, an in-person listening session will be held at the Seaholm Media Center, 2436 W. Lincoln, on “Community Solutions to the BPS Budget,” from 6-7:30 p.m.

The next morning, Friday, April 22, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., a virtual listening session on the same topic will be held by Zoom. To join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/; meeting ID: 82565987149; passcode: 135722.