Doesnt make sense for long term. The board caved to the Smith, Bird, Isbister continengies. Those schools are significantly overcrowded, posed a danger, while some schools have capacity. Unbelievable.

The board did not meet any of the objectives it set out to do. We still have overcrowding and bondary lines that don't make sense. The district wasted time, resources, and alot of money on a decision anybody off the street could have made

Wow, I know of no Smith contingencies that wanted to stay at an overcrowded school. My sub was supposed to move out of Smith and most supported it. Now our children will remain in portables in an overcrowded school. I guess the board did not need an unbiased expensive study that looked at our situation. Now we know that if you want something that does not make fiscal sense for the district and puts kids in less than ideal learning situations, just get a group of people together and bombard the board with your personal choices. When they now try to balance the budget they will end up having to cut more teachers, and we will now have larger class sizes in schools with empty classrooms and down the street there will be 30 or more kids jammed in a portable trying to do art.

With the Boards decision, should anyone be asking:
1. If they need to hire 2 extra teachers for Hulsing, what are they going to cut in their budget that is already over a 5 million dollar deficit. And what program/students will suffer for it.
2. Why does the Board have an Advisory Committee when they make and adopt their OWN proposal.
3. Is it in the districts best interest or just who you know or related to on the Board.
4. Are the kindergartners at all over crowded schools going to be able to eat lunch?
5. Lets all hope we don't have a tornado in our district while students are in the portables.
6. Didn't the board say they wanted to reduce over crowding, but yet has increased another school to possibly over capacity. Why the change of direction.
7. It doesn't affect the smallest number of students, when there is over crowding, and an additional budget cut needs to be made.
See you all next year, because a bandaid doesn't last that long.

Apparently they really like doing these meetings. Well see them all again this fall. Spend another year getting every body worked up, then do another do nothing vote in hopes the charter schools take care of the problem for them. If that's the plan it may work because the board has just proven themselves to be totally inept.

DG, you said it all. This whole exercise was a pathetic, expensive, waste of time. Epic fail.

With the quick proposal and approval of option #1 4.10.12, the board certainly seemed like it had an agenda. They can say that it was about moving the least children as possible, but the timing of the proposal and quick nature by which it was passed has and will leave a bitter taste in the mouth of some Fiegel parents. The pressure from Allen parents to not include the Holiday Park sub and it's surrounding area made this option pass. My thanks to Mr. Barrett for not voting yes to this option without proper information and lack of debate. If this option was presented earlier from the study, I would have no problem with the vote. Now seeing how this has taken place, I can tell that certain board members have been influenced by parents and or family members to make sure that these kids did not go to their school. It sounds like modern segregation to me.

Nancy, wasn't it just 2 or maybe 3 years ago a tornado hit Plymouth and ripped off the roof, and damaged some apartments? And there was no advanced warning.

Next move needs to be to find out how each board member voted and see who is up for re-election next, then organize ourselves and vote them out. I really wish they would explain their logic because their actions made no sense. All that is apparent is that they have no resolve to make the necessary decisions.

After being at the meeting, I do understand why the board was so reluctant to make the changes. Many of them spoke of the feeling that another building would be closed next year. They were uncomfortable in putting families through boundary changes 2 years in a row. They understand that new charter schools are opening this fall and that the district will lose students to those schools. It is impossible for them to say right now how many students will actually be at each school come September. They may actually have better data to make sweeping (and more lasting) boundary changes next year when they truly know how the new charter schools will impact the district.

In any future talk of boundary chages, I ask that the administration erase all current bounday lines in their plans and only look at putting students at the schools closest to their homes.

It's funny that there are people complaining about Bird being overcrowded but I know people that Parent Requested the school. No way would I request for my kids to go there when we have more schools that are just as good and not as crowded. My daughter is just entering K so I don't have much of a tie into the school district yet. I think the school board did waste a lot of time. But I am wondering how many parents will pull their kids from Bird, whether for Charter schools, safety, or just to avoid overcrowding. If they are so concerned about the overcrowding, then they should not allow parents to request the school. I am not sure how many kids this would really affect though. Are they really hoping that enough parents will leave Bird to relieve the over-crowding so that they don't have to do it? This has been a tough roller coaster. I feel for all the Fiegel kids that will get tossed around and nobody seemed to care. They were all concerned that their child would be moved from an over-crowded school. I finally saw a Fiegel parent stand up to mention that her kid doesn't have a choice while everyone else says "I want." Just crazy!

Bird won, and alot of other families in the district lost.
Close Fiegel, and move those students to neighbooring schools - I would have charged the distict only 1/2 of what they paid Plante Moran for that information.

So as a Fiegel parent, my kids could go t Hulsing then maybe get moved again, are you freaking kidding me????

Here is an idea. So if the board is not sure about changing the boundaries again next year due to the charter, close Fiegel or any other school when they have more accurate data. Hmmm

What does it say about the parents that allow their child to attend a school that is unsafe and not prepared to protect their child in event of a tornado. These same parents will probably sue the district if, god forbid, Bird gets nailed by a tornado. Seems like everyone knows Bird is overcrowded but no one wants to leave.

When they chose to only close one school they said the population could go up even though Plante Moran provided statistical data of the population trend in the district. Now they keep the schools overcrowded bc population is declining? The administration wanted to fix this problem now and in the right way so it would stay fixed for several years. It is the board that did not follow the recommendations. I thonk the board needs to explain their logic on why they voted the way they did.

The board's vote went against everything they said they wanted to acheive.
Overcorwding. Gallimore could have taken, and welcomed the Smith students which would have helped both schools. Both sets of parents were for this proposal - what happened to this? When this the terms up for these clowns?

After sitting through the meeting last night for 3 hours and listening to everything that was presented to the board from recogintions and teacher concerns, I found it very disheartening that option #1 4.10.12 was quickly voted on without an explaination from the trustees. I believe the reason for that is it only affected a small area and it really wasn't a big deal. As a taxpayer from the affected area, I do not like being swept under the rug like that. We in Holiday Park may not be as fortunate as those residents to the west, but we live here in the township too. I strongly believe that our children benefit in the long run. But PLEASE do not treat us like second rate citizens.

The board does have many variables to deal with I understand that. From the beginning we were all told complete redistricting MUST take place now because of all day kindergarten. Then the board makes minimal changes. It is irresponsible to leave Bird overcrowded. And, I have nothing against Allen, they have a strong community which is wonderful but what data other than Allen wanted to stay intact is there to support the Pickwick/Fox Creek area staying at Allen? It also looks bad when a board member who has a family member that is a teacher at Allen puts a proposal on the table with little time for review that the administration does not recommend and removed. Fiegel is closer to Allen and the Pickwick/Fox Creek sub is closer to Hulsing. With this decision Fiegel kids are separated in 3 schools. Hulsing and Fiegel kids are jammed together with larger class sizes or SPENDING $150,000 for more teachers and potentially will have art on a cart. Next year Fiegel kids will probably be moved again most likely to go to Allen because that is where they should have gone in the first place because it is closer to their homes.

Horvath should be removed for offering, and recommending 4.10.12 proposal. Couldnt be a more obivious conflict of interest. maybe he is eyeing up a spot for Deteroit School Board.

The second this "new" option was presented last week, the fix was in. That is clear as day. As a Fiegel/Holiday Park parent, there was no reason to sit through a 4+ hour meeting last night. Once that proposal was put on the table, we knew our kids were going to Hulsing. And yes, Maloney should not have been allowed to vote on this "new" option since he has family at Allen. Complete conflict of interest.

As a Smith parent that attended most of the meetings and was scheduled to be moved to Gallimore, I can honestly say that I believe that the Board made the right decision for NOW. The last thing that I want is for my kids to be moved again within a matter of a few years. With the new charter school opening there is a very strong likelihood of the downtown schools having reduced enrollment - there are 500 spots available with over 900 applicants on the list. Come back to this next year, erase all the lines and start over again. All we have asked from the very beginning is to make decisions that are logical and long-term.

The Board knew about the opening of the Charter Schools from the beginning of this and could have pretty easily estimated loss number based on the other Charters that have opened. There's not that much uncertainty. There will be applicants for the Charter from all over Plymouth, Canton, Westland, Ypsi, etc. I know of families as far away as Belleville applying. The effect on any one school won't be enough to get rid of portables or put art in a classroom. The Board knows this. Their agenda is NOT what they proposed in the beginning of all of this: right-size, reduce overcrowding, improve transportation, blah, blah, blah. It was all misleading.

Let's throw money in the garbage! Plante Moran had wonderful ideas and the board didn't take their advice. These poor kids that will be in the overcrowded classes and the watered down "art on a cart" program. Which Phil Freeman was completely against when it was mentioned at an open forum meeting. They aren't looking at what is best for the kids, just what will make them look good to the public by pleasing the threating parents...

Two years ago there was a rumor of Fiegal closing. Last year they had board meeting after board meeting and finally decided to keep it open. This year they voted to close it. I would of thought that PCCS would of learned their lesson. About 40% of Fiegel students left last year and went to charter schools because the parents were tired of the board not making a decision. Now they put Gallimore in the same position. The board is wrong in so many ways to do this.

They just posted the video of the Board meeting last night at: http://pccs.pegcentral.com/. If you weren't there, take a look and make some decisions when it's time to vote for new board members.

My understanding was that Plante Moran advised closing more than just one elementary school was necessary to fully address the overcrowding and budget problems of the district (someone tell me if I am wrong). When the board refused to follow PM's recommendation, that meant that we were virtually assured of going through this process again next year. Given this situation, it does not seem in any way "irresponsible" to go with Option 4. Rather, it appears the most prudent thing to do at this point. Calling those voting for Option 4 "irresponsible" was a sign that someone is not willing to fully engage in a reasonable and civilized discussion of the options, for whatever reason. In my view, the majority of the board simply decided they weren't going disrupt the lives of many students, parents and teachers just to turn around again next year and do more moving and shifting. Looking forward to round 2 next year and hoping all board members will be willing to engage in an appropriate examination of the options without name-calling.

@pccs dad- The key element in your comment is "when the board refused to follow PM's recommendations". Why did they bother with this whole exercise at all? It was "irresponsible" to get the whole district into an uproar, spend hours and hours on maps and budget evaluations, spend more hours on board and budget meetings, and then throw a band-aid on the problems and shove them off for next year. How many families are just waiting for the ax to fall next year? It will be almost impossible to move to the Charters once they're full, so apply now.

The amount of Allen students that were to go to Hulsing was approx. 140. It was said that Hulsing could take up to 150 students. Don't forget you have all day kindergarten and that takes another room

On a slightly different note: We wanted to spread the word about the fact that the District is offering half-day kindergarten on a limited basis. The following notice was sent out late today to some people.

Half Day Kindergarten Registration: April 26 & 27
Submitted by Linda Koelzer on Wed, 04/25/2012 - 4:19pm
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools will be offering Half-day Kindergarten this fall
P-CCS will open two sections (one morning and one afternoon) of half-day kindergarten at Hoben Elementary. Each section will consist of 26 students. Parents will be responsible for transportation to and from school.
Parents who are interested in half-day kindergarten will have the opportunity to register their child on April 26 and 27. The registrations will be accepted from 1:00pm-4:00pm on Thursday and 8:00am-11:00am on Friday. Both days of registrations will be held at the E.J. McClendon Educational Center located at 454 S. Harvey in Plymouth.

Places will be secured in this program on a first-come, first-served basis.
Parents should bring an original birth certificate, immunization records, vision screening, and two proofs of residency (utility bill, lease, home insurance policy or closing statement). While your registration will not be complete without these documents, you will be able to reserve your child’s place in this program with partial documentation.

Option 4 would have been a band-aid fix for the next year if it included deferring all day Kindergarten too, but adding all day K it will only compound the problem at overcrowded schools. Bird is already using 2 portables, I can not understand how they will come up with 2 additional rooms to accommodate all day K. The current situation at Bird may have been considered tolerable but with the addition of all day K it is terribly concerning. Speaking as a Bird family who was not being moved, we did not mobilize b/c the stated goals of the study were to have addressed this situation - and I was told by the administration it would. As time went on, parents did not feel comfortable publicly countering other Bird parents, friends and families of our children's classmates. Unfortunately this whole process has put neighborhoods against neighborhoods across the district.

"The administration needs to either erase the boundaries entirely and start over or make a big change to the structure of grade levels in schools (K-4, 5-6, 7-8)"

I completely agree - However, if the board got this far and could not make a decision, I have NO confidence they will be able to make any decision in the future that will address the situation in a comprehensive manner.

Wow all this makes me glad that my kids are going to the charter school. After putting up with all the craziness of closing Fiegel last year (all to have the board keep it open for one more year) makes me glad to know that I am not apart of all this mess. I can say that as a parent who moved to Canton for the good schools I am very disappointed and not impressed with what I saw in the public schools. Two more charter schools are opening in September in the area and now I know why they have a waiting list of hundreds of kids for each grade.

I do not see any advantage in charters schools and would not send my children to one. The board is so fearful of losing students to charter schools, they are driving them in handfuls due to their incompetence and the fear of the 'Bird' groups. This school board is the biggest advertisment for charter schools. Charter school folks must be sitting back and laughing - they have no PR work to do.

The advantages to Charter Schools are rigorous academics, consistency, controlled class size, moral focus, and no fear of being moved from one school to another. You are right, the incompentence of the board is making the Charters look like the best option out there. Very sad.

I understand that there is a Charter high school in the works for the west side of Canton.