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Community Corner

Huron Valley Plans District with 3 Middle Schools

District scraps moving fifth-grade to middle schools; will transition from four to three middle schools.

The Huron Valley School District may soon operate with one fewer middle school.

That's one conclusion after weeks of meetings, forums and growing community agitation as the board of education tries to resolve the district's middle school structure to coincide with dwindling enrollment.

Amid a packed house, the board agreed to remove a proposal from the table that would have allowed fifth-graders to be in the same buildings with eighth-graders. That means the current system with fifth-graders as the top grade in elementary schools will remain. The motion passed 5-1, with Board Vice-President, Charles Dittmar, as the sole dissenter. Member Bonnie Brown was absent.

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With the same vote total, the group also agreed to transition the district from four middle schools to three. Board President Lisa Blackwell cast the dissenting vote. The yet-to-be-determined building that will not remain a middle school will either be closed or re-purposed, officials said. Closing the building would save the district $800,000, according to the district.

The board voted in mid-January that So, if a school is closed, it would either be Muir or Highland, the two remaining schools. But, board members said any of the middle schools is fair game for reuse for other purposes. Because of that, members of the board asked for updated information on all the middle schools, including redistricting data and maps, as well as building utilization projections.

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Questions remain

One of the possible ways to reuse one of the middle schools is to relocate the International Academy program, currently housed at Lakeland High. Both White Lake Middle School and Oak Valley were mentioned as potential sites for this.

Billy Comstock, an IA student, voiced his concerns about such a move during public comment.

"It’s not what we signed up for. You’re kind of switching it up on us,” he said as he explained that a move to a lone building would cut him off from his non-IA peers as well as the sports, music, and art programs that LHS offers to IA students. "I've been in all three (programs) and would hate to deny any other student that experience."

A handful of other IA students and parents echoed Comstock’s concerns, saying they believed such a move would negatively impact IA enrollment. 

No other detailed repurposing suggestions were presented, though board members said the next board meeting may serve as a brainstorming session. The meeting is slated for 7 p.m. March 3 at Country Oaks Elementary School. That's also when the board could vote on the issue.

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