FERNDALE - Should the Ferndale School District close an elementary school and move sixth-graders to the middle-school level? If the changes happen, should they be in 2012 or 2013?
Those are the questions the Ferndale School Board will be answering at a meeting Tuesday night, Nov. 22.
For months, board members have been discussing recommendations made by the district's Facility Advisory Committee in the spring to move sixth-graders from the elementary schools to the middle schools, allowing the elementary school populations to drop enough to close a school.
The committee, which includes district staff, parents and community members, made the recommendations to the board during the spring, after more than a year of meetings, touring schools and researching options.
The idea behind closing a school is that it would save the district some money in tight financial times. But closing a school could only happen if sixth-graders moved, Superintendent Linda Quinn reiterated to board members during a meeting Monday night, Nov. 14.
The district currently has several buildings that need upgrades, ranging from new heating systems to repairing leaks to structural issues. Some buildings are also old enough that they don't have the infrastructure needed for technology that is expected to be used in classrooms.
During conversations the past few months, the goal was to make a decision this fall so if a grade was moving and a school was being closed, people would have time to plan. But during Monday's meeting, Quinn mentioned that board members could decide to make the changes but delay the moves until fall 2013. Delaying the changes would allow more time for transition activities for students, staff and parents, and more time for the curriculum work involved in moving sixth-graders out of elementary schools,
And if board members voted to close a school, attendance boundaries would be redrawn, affecting more than fifth-grade families.
"To rush it because we don't want to think about it isn't a good reason to rush it," said board president Lee Anne Riddle. "There is a lot of work to do and a lot of impact to families."
According to a community survey, which 1,315 people took, more parents, district staff and community members support the recommendations than oppose them. However, there is far from widespread support of either.
District staff was the group most favorable of the recommendations, with 54 percent supporting the idea of closing an elementary school "to make more money available for educational programs and teaching staff," and 56 percent supporting moving sixth-graders.
Non-district parent community members - those parents without students in Ferndale schools - were the most opposed to the changes, with 32 percent against closing a school and 40 percent against moving sixth-graders.
About 41 percent of parents support closing an elementary school and about 48 percent support moving sixth-graders. On the flip side, 24 percent of parents oppose closing a school and about 37 percent oppose moving sixth-graders.
"No matter what we do next Tuesday night, we're not going to make everyone happy," said board member Kevin Erickson.
IF YOU GO
What: Ferndale School Board to decide whether to close an elementary school and move sixth-graders to middle school.
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22
Where: district office, 6041 Vista Drive.
