Board Votes to Close Highland Middle School

The Huron Valley Board of Education voted Thursday night 5-2 to close Highland Middle School, and then voted unanimously to redraw boundary lines within the district, ending a year of debate about how to address the issue of declining revenue and enrollment.

Board President Lisa Blackwell and Vice President Charles Dittmar cast the dissenting votes. Dittmar and trustee John Knight were unable to physically attend the meeting, but joined in voting and discussion via speakerphone.

The decision to close Highland came after months of research and consideration of various options. Ultimately it was decided that closing a middle school would best support an optimal learning environment for students, as well as save the district the most money. The closing of the middle school will allow the district to implement new curriculum with optimum enrollment numbers, maximizing the team teaching approach.

In team teaching, two or four teachers collaborate to teach the same groups of students different subjects. School officials have said this gives students consistency, and the district claims it allows teachers to form better relationships with students and teach more effectively.

“We haven’t had to tackle this kind of cut before,” said Superintendent Jackie Johnston in regards to the pending $8 million to $12 million dollar deficit that the district will be facing, depending on the passage of Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget proposal.

State Rep. Eileen Kowall (R-White Lake) was present at the evening’s meeting and commented on the upcoming deficit, “It’s going to be a rough road but at the end of the day we can emerge from it and give the best education to our kids in Michigan,” she said.

Closing a middle school is expected to save the district $800,000 annually, according to officials.

Trustee Rebecca Walsh said her primary reason for supporting the closure of Highland Middle School over the other schools is because repairs and updates exceeding one million dollars are anticipated to be needed in the near future at Highland. She said the district can't afford those repairs with the looming budget crisis.

The new boundary plans contain information on feeder schools and street level maps and will be available on the Huron Valley Schools website, according to the district

Three other motions were unanimously passed after the vote to close Highland:

1. The superintendent will provide a report on school enrollment every three years and make recommendations on the need for boundary changes in order to support balance in the schools.
2. If a school’s building utilization drops below 80 percent or enrollment drops below 300 students, such factors will “auto-trigger” discussion of a potential building closure.
3. The removal of the International Academy from Lakeland High School, and the creation of a Middle Years program will no longer be considered for the 2011-12 school year.

Blackwell also took a moment to address criticism that she received regarding her son’s departure from Huron Valley Schools to attend a private school, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in Orchard Lake. She explained that her son plays hockey and will have the opportunity to play on the top-ranked hockey team in Michigan, “And that’s all I have to say about that,” she said. Blackwell has three other children set to graduate from Huron Valley Schools.

Criticism came following a post on her facebook page that was then broadcasted on pattnow.com. This is a website for the group Parents After The Truth Now that aims to provide factual information of district happenings, and to hold the appropriate people accountable for system flaws, according to its creators Ron and Sally Madison, both parents in the district.

It is unclear what will happen next regarding the middle school restructuring or whether there will be any lay-offs. The present faculty and staff of Highland Middle School may be relocated to one of the remaining schools. Seniority and certifications will play a factor in such decisions, officials said.