COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) - The BISD, the Branch Intermediate School District Board of Education yesterday accepted bids from the Coldwater and Quincy school systems to consolidate early childhood transportation services. Officials say the projected savings in the first year will be about 60-thousand dollars. That will go up in the second year to an estimated 73-thousand dollars thanks to one-time only unemployment compensation. 

BISD Superintendent Joe Lopez said that’s money that can go back into the classroom for instructional purposes.  However, such consolidation efforts predictably quite often bring employee layoffs.   In this case, it means six workers in the BISD transportation department will be let go