OPINION: One Building on One Campus is the Right Thing to Do
The vote on May 8th will determine the structure of the school and the reputation of the community for generations to come.
I just spent more on stationary and stamps to send my neighborhood a letter about the school bond than what it will cost more a year in taxes to appropriately right-size our high schools. Bloomfield Hills High School, home of the Black Hawks, opens in the Fall of 2013 regardless of the bond's passing. The vote on May 8th will determine the structure of the school and the reputation of the community for generations to come. Voters will decide if all students will be on one campus in one renovated building OR if the student body is divided into two old and out-dated buildings (with 9th graders permanently alone in one of those buildings). The one building on one campus solution saves the district $2.4 million in operating costs annually.
Residents in Bloomfield Hills have the 3rd lowest school property taxes in
Oakland County and will continue to do so even after the bond passes. Anyone
interested in protecting and increasing their property values should know
that Bloomfield and Pontiac are the only districts in the area that have not
made significant improvements to their school buildings in recent years.
Voters should consider that the district's declining enrollment requires that
students are shuttled back and forth between Andover, Lahser and Model (52
times a day at $150,000.00 a year) in order to fill classes and offer desired
courses.
Even after right-sizing the district, Bloomfield Hills High School will only be the 65th largest high school in Michigan. It's clear that voting YES on May 8th to keep Bloomfield Hills High School in ONE building on ONE campus is the right thing to do.
Kelly Gould,
Bloomfield Hills
Casey
11:09 am on Monday, May 7, 2012
Vote Yes - Thanks Kelly I agree... point of clarification are the suttles really 52 times a day?
Shawn Bolton
11:58 am on Monday, May 7, 2012
The current Lahser Shuttle schedule indicates that there are 42 shuttles from Lahser on Even days and 36 on Odd days. In most instances, a student needs to leave their class about 10 mins early to catch the shuttle to another building. The same thing occurs to return to their home school...they miss approximately 10 mins of class time. I do not see how this benefits our children...if they were located in one building, this would not occur. We are fortunate that we allow the shuttles back and forth, otherwise students would not be able to take classes that have lower enrollments at individual buildings. Voting no will perpetuate this situation...there will always be a number of freshmen who will take advanced classes that will not necessarily be offered at the Ninth grade building. So, the cost may be reduced, however it will not be eliminated. Students will potentially still lose class time. There are some teachers who travel between buildings, however, they may be delayed as well...so more students could miss class. Our best option.......Vote "YES" on May 8 !!!
Casey
12:19 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Thanks for the clarification Shawn - Not only is this a waste of the students education time - It seems like this is a waste of operation dollars not to mention the additional $ 1,400,000.00/ year we can save by voting Yes. We are voting to maintain our support of the schools (our taxes do not increase over current levels) while the money is going to be for the "building" it will save us from WASTING education dollars on the buildings and keeping our current offerings. VOTE YES
Ken Jackson
3:48 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Charles K,
I don't follow you. I see above that Mr. Bolton lists concerns about excessive shuttling between Andover and Lahser but I don't see how that relates to making strawman arguments about YES voters or your claims that Mr. Glass and the school board will act differently than they say they will. Plan B, by definition, is a "fall back" plan, something Mr. Glass and the board have said is the best they can do under the circumstances if the bond fails. Neither the current board nor Mr. Glass brought us to the point where we can no longer afford two comprehensive high schools. Declining enrollments and changes to state funding in education did. The MAY 8th vote, contra to what many no voters and 2020 folks have led many to believe, is not to choose between two equal, comparable options. Is that what you think?
Shawn Bolton
10:01 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
The need for shuttles arrises from the decrease in our student enrollment. The number of students that may elect a particular class at either high school has decreased. In order to continue to provide the academic opportunities we have come to cherish, and expect our high school administration and transportation department have worked out the best possible solution, combine students at one or the other school. This allows for greater academic access. However, if the entire student body were located on one campus, this situation would no longer exist. It is ridiculous to continue to think that the state of our buildings have nothing to do with how our children learn and excel. Our current high school students travel to other schools, for sporting events, academic clubs, orchestra and band competitions, forensic competitions and numerous other activities. Do not think for one moment that they don't see the difference. From theaters to cafeterias to classrooms and sporting venues, our facilities are well past their prime. It is time to move ahead and reinvent our community, starting with our high school. To Charles K,
my daughter was a member of the first class of 5th graders at East Hills, and her experience was amazing. The 5th grade teachers, UA teachers and administration made the year memorable and the kids had a great year! The kids handled the transition far better than most parents. Our children deserve the support of their community, Vote "YES" on May 8!
Ken Jackson
11:01 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Charles K,
You guessed wrong. I am sorry to hear about your son's experience. I am voting YES not because I am blindly trusting a district or an administration. I understand very much the frustration of a parent when it makes decisions that does not work for your kids. But, again, the YES vote is for me the way to go with the option on the table at the moment. I simply don't believe a no vote will send any kind of positive message or force anything but an eventual decline in the district.
Patty
12:18 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Charles K, my son also had a great 5th grade year at East Hills, He couldn't wait to get to the big school, actually, and looking back on it, I can't imagine him spending 5th grade in the elementary school. The sports, clubs, activity nights, etc that he got to participate in were great experiences. Your son's experience is the ONLY negative one i have heard.