The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
School closing is discussed
By Dan DuChene, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 17, 2007
Conversations between board members were heated when the Willow Run Board of Education discussed closing a second school at a recent meeting.
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The board took no action in deciding which school to close as officials are hoping to eliminate $1 million from its budget. The board approved closing Thurston Early Childhood Development Center, and one other elementary school to be named later at a special meeting held last month.
Shouting matches took place between board members, administrators and audience members when the topic was brought up at the end of the meeting.
Clifford Smith said he opposed closing any school in the district. He said closing a school would negatively impact the budget because of the number of students who would relocate.
"Closing a school will not save us a dime, I have said that" he said at the meeting. "It will cost us money."
Instead of closing a school, Smith suggested his 10-point plan to save the district money. The plan involved hiring independent studies into Willow Run's spending habits, making more contracts in-house and a marketing campaign for attracting students to Willow Run.
"The decision has been made," Claudette Braxton, the board's president, said to Smith. "When a decision is made, we should all respect that decision."
When Smith mentioned his 10-point plan, Braxton said, "You need to say something new, because you've said all of this. That's not going to save $3 million."
Others on the board complained there wasn't enough information presented to justify closing a school building.
"This is business. If we're going to make these decisions, we need to do more than throw some stuff together," said Trustee Sheri Washington.
Braxton recommended addressing the issue at the board's meeting tonight. She asked board members to submit any criteria and questions they hope to review to the superintendent.
"If you're not seeing what you want, call and ask questions," Braxton said.
"It's about working together at this table. It's not about putting each other down."
Members of the board said they wanted to see a plan for closing each school, how the closing would affect the budget and other information, such as what transportation would look like.
One issue Braxton and Smith agreed on was the role of the administration in naming a school to close.
"What schools are you recommending we close?" Smith said. "That's the question he should bring to us."
Superintendent Ron Ciranna said Braxton had said the board would make the decision at a previous board meeting.
"I did say that we would be making the decision," Braxton said, "based on a recommendation coming to us."
The board is expected to address the issue again at the board's meeting tonight, where Ciranna hopes action will be taken on the issue.
"If you don't make a decision by the seventeenth, don't make a decision," he said.
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