School District Scrambles Kids: Dropping Enrollments Force Students to Begin Again in Different Buildings
By Zlati Meyer, Detroit Free Press
Aug. 26–When 8-year-old Matthew Conlisk starts third grade next month, he’ll be in his third building in as many years.
The Taylor boy went to Treadwell Elementary for first grade. Then the school closed. Second grade was at Wareing. It closed, too.
This year, he’ll attend Taylor Parks Elementary.
Like other school systems in southeastern Michigan, Taylor won’t reopen all its school buildings this fall. The Downriver district — which lost more than 400 students last year — is trying to make the best of it.
Two of the four shuttered schools will house new programs, officials said. Brake Elementary will become Sixth Grade Academy, designed to ease youngsters into middle school. The district’s consolidated preschool will be housed at the former Johnson Elementary.
Taylor’s reconfiguration is part of a $5.7-million cost-cutting strategy, Superintendent Lee Lewis said.
“The birthrate in Wayne County has been going down for many, many years,” Lewis said Thursday. “Equally important to that, I think, is the economy in Michigan. We have many, many students who have moved out. … There’s a lot more competition for students — charter schools, schools of choice.”
For Matthew’s mother, Marlene Conlisk, the change isn’t welcomed.
“I’m not happy with them closing schools,” she said. “I understand they have to. I get that, because of the economy. They need to stick to a plan.”
The Taylor school district isn’t the only one in the region making changes.
East Detroit Public Schools’ Warrendale Elementary is being demolished and the land sold.
Southfield hopes to lease out space in Kennedy Elementary, closed in June.
Detroit wants to sell several vacant buildings.
And earlier this month, the Trenton school district decided to negotiate the sale of the Owen Elementary site to a developer.
Lewis said Taylor is holding on to some properties just in case its enrollment increases.
“We’ve kept several in reserve. If indeed we did need to create more room, we do have the availability on the properties we have for any significant additions” or new schools.
Contact ZLATI MEYER at 313-223-4439 or z meyer@freepress.com.
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