A scheduling technique useful in a mesh network includes scheduling a selected amount of traffic in the mesh network using a linear program approach that minimizes a time for the selected amount of traffic to reach its intended destination. The linear program is subject to a plurality of constraints that insure that the selected amount of traffic will reach its intended destination within the minimized time. An example is disclosed that uses such a technique for a mesh network having a root node that is a base station for wireless communications and a plurality of child nodes that comprise subscriber stations. A disclosed example is useful for centralized scheduling in a Wimax mesh network.