CHRIS, BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT, ALLISON, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELL, NEW TONIGHT, SOME MUCH NEEDED HELP FOR MOUNT HEALTHY SCHOOLS WITH THE STATE APPROVING $11 MILLION SO THE DISTRICT CAN GET OUT OF A FINANCIAL HOLE. WLWT NEWS FIVE’S LINDSEY STONE IS LIVE BREAKING DOWN WHAT THIS MEANS FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN THE DISTRICT. LINDSEY. WELL, CHRIS, THIS DECISION TO RESTRUCTURE BOTH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS COMES AFTER A DEFICIT WAS DISCOVERED OF MORE THAN $10 MILLION FROM THE PROJECTED OPERATING FUND. AND TONIGHT, DURING A VERY TENSE MEETING, BOTH PARENTS AND TEACHERS SPEAKING OUT, ASKING THE SCHOOL BOARD HOW THIS DEFICIT OCCURRED AND WHAT THE NEXT YEAR WILL LOOK LIKE. MISS BRYANT YES, MISTER CARTER? YES. IN A TEN SCHOOL BOARD MEETING TONIGHT, THE MOUNT HEALTHY SCHOOL BOARD ANNOUNCED THE DISTRICT IS SPLITTING UP. JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS AMONG TWO BUILDINGS, FIRST THROUGH FOURTH AND FIFTH THROUGH EIGHTH. OUR ADMINISTRATORS HAVE AGONIZED OVER THIS. BOARD MEMBERS SAY THE REDISTRIBUTION WILL SAVE REVENUE BY UTILIZING BUILDINGS MORE EFFECTIVELY. THE DECISION COMES AFTER THE SCHOOL BOARD DECLARED A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY, STATING IT WOULD HAVE A $10.8 MILLION DEFICIT BY THE END OF JUNE. PARENTS ARE STILL CONFUSED AS TO HOW THE MONEY WAS MISMANAGED. THE QUESTIONS THAT I KEEP GETTING ARE WHERE DID THE MONEY GO? AND WHO IS BEING HELD RESPONSIBLE? WE HAVE YET TO HAVE ANSWERS TO EITHER OF THOSE QUESTIONS. THE STATE HAS APPROVED A LOAN FOR MOUNT HEALTHY SCHOOLS, WORTH NEARLY $11 MILLION, TO ADDRESS A FINANCIAL CRISIS, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, PARENTS IN THE DISTRICT ARE DEALING WITH THE RESTRUCTURING AND THE CHALLENGES THAT COME WITH IT. FOR FAMILIES. I HAVE THREE CHILDREN THAT I WOULD HAVE TO BUS TO TRANSPORT TO THREE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. THEY’RE ALSO WORRIED ABOUT HOW MOVING STUDENTS COULD AFFECT STUDENTS MENTAL HEALTH. TEACHERS WILL ALSO BE MOVED TO NEW BUILDINGS. ONE TEACHER CALLED IT A DECISION GUT WRENCHING. I WILL NOT I MAY NOT FAIL, BUT IT WILL BE A MISERABLE EXISTENCE OF A YEAR. THE SCHOOL BOARD SAYS THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE DEFICIT UNTIL THE NOVEMBER MEETING. SUPERINTENDENT VALERIE HAWKINS SAYS THE DEFICIT IS DUE TO COMPOUNDING INTEREST AND LOSS OF ENROLLMENT. THIS IS NOT AN EASY ISSUE. I DON’T THINK THAT THERE IS ONE PERSON WHO IS RESPONSIBLE. THERE’S A LOT OF FACTORS THAT PLAYED INTO THE LEVEL OF OF WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE DISTRICT. AND AS WE TOLD YOU, THIS RESTRUCTURING WILL NOT JUST AFFECT STUDENTS, BUT TEACHERS TOO. RIGHT NOW, THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY PLANS OR ANYTHING ANNOUNCED FOR TEACHERS GETTING THEIR NEW ASSIGNMENTS, NEW CLASSROOMS, OF COURSE, ADDING TO THE OVERALL