Flint Community Schools today announced it will consolidate all of its middle and high schools.
Superintendent Linda Thompson says there will be three schools for seventh through 12th graders.
Thompson says the plan will benefit younger students because they'll have access to higher-level language, math and science teachers and labs.
Some parents expressed concerns about younger students' exposure to upperclassmen, but Thompson says the district has a plan to avoid that.
"We are going to have separate areas for middle schoolers, and different ID badges, so at a glance you can see whether or not that student is in the area in which they should be at that particular time," Thompson says.
She says closing the middle schools will save money by cutting teaching and administrative staff and reducing utility and maintenance costs.
Two elementary schools will also be closed.
