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Parents troubled by Township Schools Realignment Proposal

During a regular meeting of the Saginaw Township Community Schools (STCS) Board of Education, held at the Arrowwood Conference Center, 5410 Seidel Rd., Monday, February 22, every seat was filled by parents and students. They were there to listen to Joseph Ellison, Director of Learning, Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, explain the K-5 Realignment Proposal. They were also there to voice their concerns over the proposal.

A majority of the parents were not happy with the plan to move kids around, doing away with the "neighborhood school" concept.

Under the new proposal, Westdale Elementary, 705 S. Center, would house only kindergarten students next school year. Arrowwood Elementary would house only first and second grades, while only third, fourth and fifth-grade students would attend Sherwood Elementary, 3870 Shattuck, and Weiss Elementary, 4645 Weiss.

Hemmeter Elementary, 1890 Hemmeter, would continue housing pupils from kindergarten through fifth grade, becoming a G/T magnet school, specializing in talent development. Children will be tested in, and would attend that school.

Plainfield Elementary, 2775 Shattuck, will not be closing, as many in the community had assumed, but would house the district's Mackinaw Academy, 3465 N. Center, after the Plainfield pupils leave. The academy offers alternative high school programs.

Emotions ran high as, one by one, parents stepped up to the podium to ask the board questions and state their argument against the proposal. Several parents expressed their concerns over the change, which could mean dropping off and picking up multiple children from multiple locations.

One parent wanted to know how it would save money by relocating students of Plainfield Elementary, only to house the Mackinaw Academy there. He couldn't see the benefit, since there would still be the same number of students, and the same number of buildings that would require maintenance.

But the most common complaint centered on the separation of younger and older children. Many families have siblings that currently attend the same schools, but under the proposal, that may not be the case. The benefit of positive, older-child role models also seemed to be an important issue.

Another parent said she was heartsick at first, but after hearing the presentation, it made better sense. Her own childhood elementary experience was much the same as what is being proposed, and she felt there were no issues, that it worked out fine. She mentioned that her children currently attend the same school, and rarely see each other anyway. She said she believes in public schools and wants all children in all neighborhoods to benefit, and get a quality education. She was not comfortable, however, with the idea of Hemmeter Elementary giving gifted children a better education than her own children.

Due to Michigan's severe budget problems, STCS now has a budget problem affecting all levels and programs. Out of the three presented, Proposal 1 appeared to be the most viable, with building reconfiguration and minimal staff reductions. Proposal 2 would mean severe program and staff reductions, while Proposal 3 would rely solely on fund equity (savings account).

Under the proposal, only grades K-5 will be affected, but they will be looking at another $2.5 million worth of cuts across other levels and other programs. They will need to adopt one single district-wide neighborhood in order to balance class sizes. The concept of a neighborhood school would be done away with so they can move kids around. The proposal would also help retain music, art, Spanish and P.E., strengthen the current high-quality programs, and allow better flexibility in scheduling.

Diane Davis, Director of Finance and Business Operations, explained that the last budget forecast the board had in February showed an almost $5.5 million deficit, based on the most recent information available. She went on to say how important it is to look at a long-term solution.

The STCS Board of Education is faced with the difficult task of finding the best solution to the budget problems affecting the school system. Board members listened carefully to the parents' concerns, taking notes so they will be better able to address them. Board members also expressed how strongly they feel about keeping the parents informed, and how important it is to work together to make compromises. According to Don McAnelly, STCS Board President, no decision has been made as of yet.

A copy of the proposal presentation will be available through the Saginaw Township Community Schools website at www.saginaw-twp.k12.mi.us.

 

 

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