Fiegel Elementary to Close, Gallimore to Remain Open

Board approves just one of two school closures recommended by district.

Plymouth-Canton school board members voted Tuesday to close Fiegel Elementary, but spared Gallimore Elementary from a similar fate. Both schools faced closure in a Tuesday meeting at Discovery Middle School in Canton after months of considering a variety of realignment plans in the district to make room for all-day kindergarten in 2012-13, save money and make best use of district buildings' available classroom space. The proposed closures would have had a far-reaching impact on the district, with district lines mostly redrawn to shift students to different elementary and middle schools. Plans presented to the community at a series of public forums showed new proposed district lines if the board voted to close both Fiegel and Gallimore. …

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close my account

9:25 pm on Sunday, September 9, 2012

DG, The consultant said that kids born at St. Joe or U of M or Beaumont, etc., are counted at their home addresses in Wayne County. Also, the past board has kept Dodson half full since Workman opened several years ago hoping against hope that the kids would come. The bubble created during the early 2000's "boom" are already moving through the school system. It just isn't possible to repeat such a…   more ›

Letters to the Editor

Letter: Parents Support Half-Day Kindergarten Option

Plymouth-Canton parents in favor of a half-day kindergarten option share with Patch a letter they submitted to the Board of Education.

Editor's note: A group of parents in support of a half-day kindergarten option submitted this letter to members of the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Board of Education. The parents also shared it with Patch. The district is adopting an all-day kindergarten schedule for the 2012-13 school year in order to retain full per-pupil funding from the state. Dear Members of the Plymouth-Canton Board of Education: At your board meeting on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Hughes proposed that the district offer two classrooms (four sections) of a Young Fives program for the 2012-13 school year. According to Dr. Hughes, children who turn five between Sept. 1-Nov. 30, 2012 would be eligible for this program. He further stated that…

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a

11:50 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012

Maddiex, you say the district doesn't have enough money to tailor programs to every family's desires? Kind of like the "young fives" program everyone is clarmoring for? Or how about TAG? That is tailored to the desires of district families. And also, you say that the district won't lose money when families seek alternatives outside the district because their school taxes will still go to the …   more ›

District Recommends Closing Fiegel, Gallimore Elementaries

Board meets for final time before March 27 decision on district realignment, school closings.

  The Plymouth-Canton Board of Education faces a vote March 27 to close Fiegel and Gallimore elementaries as part of a district realignment plan. The plan, which administrators say will “right-size” the district by shifting students to different buildings to maximize each school facility’s available space, came after months of public input at a series of community forums. The district’s adoption of all-day kindergarten in 2012-13 necessitated redistricting and shifting of students to open additional classroom space. Starkweather Alternative High School will move to Fiegel and Gallimore will take on early childhood, Tanger Center and the district’s Talented and Gifted (TAG) programs. If adopted, this scenario would spare Hulsing Elementary …

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Parents Push for Half-Day Kindergarten Option

Parents seek support from others in district to offer half-day option in addition to district's full-day kindergarten plans in 2012-13.

Karin Young and Jennifer D'Angelo want to be able to spend a little more time with their children during the day before they eventually spend each day in an elementary classroom. With Plymouth-Canton Community Schools' adoption of an all-day kindergarten format for 2012-13, the Plymouth parents' plans are in jeopardy. The switch to all-day kindergarten ensures continued full per-pupil funding at the kindergarten level; with just a half-day schedule, the district would only receive about half of its per-pupil funding for kindergarten students. "While some parents may be pleased with this decision because it is the best fit for their child and/or their family, there are other parents who believe that a half-day kindergarten experience would …

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School Realignment: Do 'Those Kids' Comments Cross the Line?

Readers chime in on parents' public comments about demographics mixing with realignment.

Several parental concerns have accompanied Plymouth-Canton Community Schools' looming realignment plans. The district's school board members will adopt one of two plans March 27 that will close two elementary schools. One plan would close Fiegel and Gallimore elementaries; the other would close Fiegel and Hulsing. Additionally, Tanger and Starkweather's alternative education programs would move toward the center of the district. The district has held several community forums to allow input on the topic and parents have weighed in on transportation, class sizes, neighborhood impact and the changes' effect on students. One topic raised by some parents, however, has drawn sharp criticism from others in the district: Mixing students from …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: All Children Deserve Top-Notch Education

Canton resident criticizes some parents' tones during realignment discussions.

Letter to the Editor I have attended the facility utilization meetings over the course of the last couple of months, and one element seems to arise at each one: the pure ugliness residing in this community. I am speaking of the parents who continue to state that they do not want "those kids", including Tanger and Title I students, attending their schools or being relocated to their current buildings. "Those kids" are just that, kids, and they need and desire a top-notch educational opportunity as much as any other child in this district. I am both embarrassed and appalled by this ignorant display at these meetings. I would much rather have my kids in school with "those kids" than with the children of pretentious, judgmental, and uncaring …

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a

11:53 pm on Friday, September 7, 2012

Tim, you are disparaging some of your own supporters here...   more ›

Plymouth-Canton School Closings Await March 27 Board Vote

District releases proposed boundary maps as board weighs two realignment scenarios.

Two Plymouth-Canton elementary schools will close next year when the district's school board votes this month to adopt a realignment plan. One school — Fiegel Elementary — appears to already have its fate determined as both plans being presented to the board March 27 include closing Fiegel. The fate of the second — either Gallimore or Hulsing Elementary — will be decided by the vote. The decision will come after months of analysis from the district on how to best utilize its available classroom space. With too many partially filled buildings, the district is looking at ways to consolidate its schools to cut costs. The matter gained urgency when the district opted to pursue all-day kindergarten, increasing the need for more suitable …

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Letter to the Editor: Save Gallimore Elementary

Parents support keeping elementary building open as district weighs realignment options.

 This represents my frustration with an administrative process that has stacked its school boundaries in such a manner so as to inhibit options for Gallimore.  Political protectionism persists among school jurisdictions.  I am still perplexed why anyone would consider Isbister a recipient of so many Plymouth Township students when they are located on a dirt road. Other migratory routes perplex me when one looks at access and infrastructure of some of the un-scrutinized schools.  Therefore, the perceived relevance of a school can be manipulated with an ink pen drawing lines on a map, whether indifferent or politically intentional.  Regardless, our district is redefining many migratory habits of our students.    We have the perfect …

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School District Realignment Plans Narrowed to Two Scenarios

Plans would each close two elementary schools.

Two Plymouth-Canton elementary schools face closures in a school board vote this month as the district attempts to "right-size" itself and make efficient use of its buildings. Administrators have weighed several realignment configurations that would each close different schools. The district narrowed these options down to just two, with the cuts primarily coming at the elementary level. One plan, dubbed Scenario 1B during community forums on the topic, would close Fiegel and Hulsing elementaries and relocate the Tanger Center special education program and Starkweather Alternative High School toward the center of the district. According to Phil Freeman, assistant superintendent for facilities and operations, the elementary buildings had the…

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Plymouthtownshiptaxpayer

1:01 pm on Saturday, March 17, 2012

I realize this is off subject regarding the redistributing, but someone else opened the can of worms. I've seen data from the national education association showing that charter schools are failures, and I've seen data from less liberal sources which show that charter schools out perform most public schools. Not sure where the truth is, but if they are such lousy investment then why do parents …   more ›