Ypsilanti High School facing major changes as district seeks grants to boost achievement

Ypsilanti High School held its graduation last week. The school could be seeing some significant changes.

File photo

Ypsilanti High has been identified as achieving in the lowest 5 percent of Michigan high schools by the Michigan State Department of Education. Thus, it is eligible for grant money made available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act via the U.S. Department of Education.

But participating districts must agree to implement one of four models developed by the U.S. DOE to restructure the school. The options are:

• Turnaround model, which requires replacing the principal and not rehiring 50 percent of the staff. The new principal would be granted flexibility to implement changes to improve achievement.
• Close the school.
• Restart model, which would place the high school under a “charter-like” arrangement with an entity such as a charter company, university or Washtenaw Intermediate School District.
• Transformation model, in which the district would replace the principal, take steps to increase staff effectiveness, provide operational flexibility, increase the school day, institute comprehensive instructional reforms and create community-oriented schools.

The district must submit a decision to the state today, but will have 30 days to select a different model, at which time the board will vote on the decision.

Jennifer Martin, assistant superintendent for educational quality, said the district is not considering closing the high school because there are no other high schools in the district.

At the June 7 special board meeting, numerous community members expressed opposition to the idea of “chartering off” the school. Martin said she “does not have the details” on how an agreement would work. But she said the school would be placed in a “charter-like” arrangement under which guidelines could vary depending on the organization with which the district partners.

Martin said the district has established a School Improvement Grant Committee comprised of representatives from Eastern Michigan University, WISD, high school staff, administration, students and parents. Its purpose is to complete a “comprehensive needs assessment” to help determine which of the three options is best for the district.

Once a restructuring plan is being developed, Martin said all decisions on what classroom changes to make would be based on data indicating where the school’s weaknesses lie.

The state used a formula that included MEAP scores and graduation rates to determine which schools fell in the bottom 5 percent, according to district spokeswoman Emma Jackson.

Seeking the funds is not mandatory, but Martin said a list of the state’s poorest performing schools is issued in the fall, and if Ypsilanti High is on that list, it will be required to submit a restructuring plan.

She said the district has already enacted numerous measures to boost student achievement, and recent data shows it has made gains - but the district doesn't want to pass up an opportunity for additional funds.

“If we are facing a restructuring plan in the future, it would only make sense that we apply for financial assistance to make the changes,” Martin said.

The district would receive between $50,000 and $2 million over three years to enact one of the plans. She said the district does not know how much money it would qualify to receive, and does not know the state’s formula for determining that figure.

Money could only be spent on student improvement at the high school. For example, no money could be spent on building maintenance.

A monitor from the state’s DOE would visit the school weekly to oversee the plan’s implementation, with the number of visits and oversight reduced as the district makes progress.

Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.