6 Farmington schools could be closed in 2016

It seemed fitting that John Herrington, the longest tenured teacher and most recognizable coach in Farmington Public Schools, was the first speaker to pour his heart out and plead for the future of Harrison High School.

Herrington has been the only football coach in the school’s history, dating to 1970, and has been a teacher in the district for 52 years. But his historic career at Harrison could soon be coming to a close as the school is on the Building and Site Utilization Committee’s report for recommended closure and repurposing.

Herrington said: “My heart and soul is here,” and cannot “imagine closing a school of that caliber.”

“I know it’s already hurt the morale of our teachers at Harrison and it’s hurt the students I’m in contact with, the football players, because they ask us every day what is happening and I just say ‘I don’t know,’” he said.

Herrington was not the only one filled with emotion as a standing room-only crowd in excess of 100 people — many donning the Hawks’ green and gold — filled the board room and spilled out into the hallway and lobby of the district’s administrative offices. A total of 28 speakers shared their views with the board of education, touching on everything from expanding school of choice, reconfiguring grades and better marketing to taking more time to study the data, the impact on property values and putting an emphasis on the people rather than numbers.

The report recommends closing three elementary schools — Beechview, Highmeadow and Kenbrook — two facilities serving grades 5-8 — Warner Upper Elementary and Dunckle Middle School — and one high school — Harrison.

The district’s central offices, transportation center, Maxfield Educational Center and the facilities building also were recommended for closure. Some of the buildings would be demolished and the property hopefully sold, while others would be repurposed for different uses.

Harrison found itself on the list for repurposing because of its central location, connection to high speed fiber and collaborative opportunities for municipality and community use.

There also was discussion as it pertains to grade reconfiguration. Currently, the district serves students K-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12, and the recommendation would be to change that to either K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 or K-4, 5-8, and 9-12.

“At the end of the day we are a teaching and learning organization and we have to maximize the resources we have to provide the best capacity for teaching and learning,” said Superintendent George Heitsch. “And there is not an easy solution.”

Paul Wills of Plante Moran CRESA, who presented the report to the board, said district enrollment has dropped from 12,456 students in 2008 to 10,035 students in the most recent count.

“It’s not just a Farmington issue, it’s across southeast Michigan,” he said.

That point was not lost on those in attendance, but the reality was still tough to cope with.

“I am outraged that the priority of a student as a person rather than a statistic on paper has been diminished to the point where we are not only cutting the buildings but the people,” said Harrison High student Chayse Harley.

Her fellow classmate Elizabeth Pappas lauded the achievements of the many students at the school, and worried that her graduation in two years won’t be from Harrison.

“Closing a high school means so much to the students,” she said. “And you have to realize it’s the people you are hurting.”

Julia Wang, a Harrison grad and now student in the Honors College at the University of Michigan, said she knows firsthand the impact the school has on students.

“You can crunch the numbers all you want, but numbers don’t make the community,” she said.

No action was taken at Tuesday’s meeting, but a final recommendation will likely be presented in November after a series of community forums in the fall. The school closures are recommended to take place in the fall of 2016.

Kerry Leon Jackson said all he asks for is “open and honest discussion, a chance for everyone to be heard, for everything to be shared on the website and for all of us to have the opportunity to talk about how we get to a point to have a district hat teaches all of our kids.”

“Just get us back to that point and figure out how to do it together without everyone being mad at each other,” he said.

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