School Board Picks Option 4 as Long Term Solution

The Northville schools board of education debated Tuesday night over two options for middle school boundary changes.

"I feel like I'm taking my kids to get a shot," said Trustee Matthew Wilk at Tuesday night's board of education meeting. "We know it's going to hurt, the question is how long is it going to hurt."

By 11 p.m. the board ultimately voted 6-1 to select Option 4, which will reassign a portion of the current Ridge Wood Elementary students from Meads Mill Middle School's attendance area to Hillside Middle School's attendance area. The other choice was Option 2, which would move a portion of students from the current Silver Springs Elementary attendance area away from Meads Mill and to Hillside. 

Trustee Scott Craig said Meads Mill has had an overcrowding issue for years.

"I could see that we weren't really solving the overcrowding problem at Meads Mill," he said. "Frankly, Meads Mill is a much smaller building and it couldn't accommodate more students."

However, the decision to pick Option 4 was not always clear.

"When you look at the map, it [Option 2] seems to make more sense," said Ken Roth, board president. 

Joseph T. Hige, board treasurer, who was the single nay vote, also said that Option 2 makes more geographic sense. 

Based on the boundary changes in Option 4, he said he is concerned that they are underestimating the growth by putting all of the developable land into Hillside's boundary. Option 4 will put 973 total students at Hillside, which is close to the school's 1,000 student capacity (at 90 percent).

But the goal is to reduce stress on Meads Mill, Roth said, and Option 4 is more appealing when it comes to the numbers.

[See how the two options will affect student enrollment at Meads Mill and Hillside here.]

[Read about the board's unanimous vote to select Option 1 for elementary school attendance boundary changes and its effect on student enrollment at Ridge Wood and Winchester Elementary.]

James Mazurek, board vice president, said he doesn't think the geographical changes are a big deal. The important factor to weigh is potential growth, he said.

"Let's try to do an option that will last the longest," he said.

Board Secretary Cynthia Jankowski, also a parent of a sixth grade student at Meads Mill, said she favors Option 4 and appreciates the opportunity for open enrollment.

"We have an open enrollment option available for those parents who don't want their children to move," she said.

The deadline for submitting an open enrollment request is May 3, Superintendent Mary Kay Gallagher said. However, open enrollment is a year-to-year process, so there is no guarantee that a student will be accepted each year, she said.

Detailed information on that, including welcome letters from school principals and information on principal visits to the schools, will be sent this week to parents affected by the boundary changes.

Do you agree with the board's decision? Tell us in the comments.