A unified Bloomfield Hills High School is slated to open on one or two campuses in the fall of 2013. Here's an update on the big decisions made so far and what's coming in the months ahead:

Timeline

After formally approving the timeline for the already endorsed unified high school concept in June, the Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education set some critical benchmarks for early 2012. They are:

• Jan. 16-Feb. 15: The district will host more than a dozen public forums on the consolidation process at buildings districtwide and at other community centers.
• Feb. 16: Superintendent Rob Glass said that he expected a decision on the final construction options presented in October by Fielding Nair International by the time the BHS Board concludes their regularly scheduled meeting on this night.
• Feb. 20: Communication to the parents of the decision and the following steps will begin.

Public Input

The district has scheduled public forums, beginning Jan. 16, to educate concerned parents and residents about the consolidation plan. The district scheduled them during daytime and evening hours at nearly every building with students that will be impacted directly by consolidation. Feedback from these events will help the district form its plan to communicate changes to the community and help gauge the public's initial response to the bond proposal, Glass said.

Read Patch blogger Brandon Kaufman’s post about these forums and a full list of forums is available in the attached PDF.

The Options

Glass outlined two action plans for the construction of a unified high school on the Andover site, whether the yet-undetermined bond initiative passes or fails. If the anticipated bond measure passes, he envisions a two-year exodus from the Andover site to help speed construction for a reopening by fall 2015. Under that scenario:

• Students in grades 10, 11 and 12 would populate the current Lahser High School building.
• All ninth-graders would move to the former Hickory Grove Elementary School at 2800 Lahser Rd.
• The district and local authorities would have to find a temporary solution for anticipated traffic on Lahser Road. Staggering schedules to ease congestion could be an option.

Under the scenario proposed if the bond fails:

• Grades 10, 11 and 12 would populate the current Andover High School.
• Ninth-graders would attend class at the Hickory Grove site or Lahser High School.
• Basic renovations would be completed, but not every building issue would be addressed without funding.

Students to Choose Mascot, School Colors

Ed Bretzlaff, assistant superintendent of instruction, said students from Andover and Lahser are working on school mascot and color schemes. The committees have met several times and are using the district’s online communications management system to take suggestions.

“Every study has the opportunity to add their idea of what the mascot and colors should look like,” he said.

Students currently in ninth, 10^th and the middle school grades will vote between the top 10 choices before the end of the school year, and then again when the field is whittled down to three.

Still to Decide

The board, administration and supportive parent groups are intent on keeping the 2013 unified high school plan and must still make several key decisions in 2012:

• Which package? District consultant Fielding Nair International in October presented the community with a $65 million construction plan that came with two possible additional options. The board will have to decide whether to add roughly $7.1 million to the price tag for athletic facility upgrades and another $8 million for other learning enhancements.
• How much funding will the district supply? Glass said the district is willing to commit resources toward the construction costs. The district has more than $20 million in reserve funds, of which Glass recommends using roughly $11 million.
• When's the vote? When to ask voters to go to the polls could be just as important as how much the district asks for. The board has discussed a November 2012 bond proposal, but their last meeting, Glass said that a vote that late in the year could delay the prospects of a fall 2015 opening.