Ypsilanti Public Schools begins student redistribution process
In the fall, Ypsilanti's Chapelle Elementary School will be closed to students.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
The Ypsilanti school district has put in motion its plan to redistribute students from soon-to-close Chapelle Elementary and East Middle schools.
The roughly 300 families at Chapelle are asked to turn in transfer forms by May 1 indicating which of the three remaining elementary schools they prefer attend. District officials said the forms are available at any of the schools’ offices and will be mailed to the students’ homes.
Concerns have been raised that many of the students will want to attend Estabrook, which is the closest to Chapelle and already the most popular schools of choice building. Some parents have said there is no fair way to redistribute kids if they don't get the building they prefer.
John Fulton, the district’s executive director for human resources and the person in charge of the redistribution, said he helped redistribute students from Ardis and GeorgeĂ‚Â elementaries when they closed five years ago. He said there were similar concerns over an exodus to Estabrook, but most families were satisfied in the end.
Students in the Ypsilanti district will soon be redistributed.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
“It evened out pretty well,” he said. “They just went to the different buildings on their own.”
Should more students want to go to Estabrook than space permits, Fulton said the district will hold a lottery by grade level. If there were 150 spots available in the third grade at Estabrook but 170 kids who wanted to attend, the district would assign a number to the students’ names, then randomly draw numbers.
Those students who didn’t get into the school would then be assigned to their second choice.
“It will work out OK,” Fulton said. “There has always been a few people who don’t get their school of choice.”
Under the new grade configuration, Adams will hold grades K-6. Estabrook and Erickson will house grades 2-6, and Perry will expand to accommodate pre-K-1.
Fulton said he would like to have the transfers figured out and school assignments made by May 15.
East students aren’t being asked to turn in a transfer form because the only other option is West Middle School, which will hold grades 7-8. West has a capacity of around 700 students, and the district is projecting 510 seventh and eighth graders next year.
Fulton said staff members are also being asked to turn in transfer forms, and will receive their assignments based on seniority. Of the 16 teachers at East, many will transfer to West, while others will move to one of the elementary schools, which are adding sixth grade.
Chapelle’s 10 teachers will fill out transfer requests and be assigned according to seniority and availability. Fulton said many of the requests have been returned, and teachers' preferences are even throughout the three schools and Perry.
Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
ypsilistener
Thu, Apr 8, 2010 : 6:46 p.m.
@Ypsi by Choice, I'm pretty sure that there are already plenty of southside kids who do not attend Chapelle but have been riding the bus to other schools across town for a good long time, just as kids who live near Adams have ridden the bus to Chapelle, or Estabrook, or Erickson. Closing Chapelle is not likely to change this system in either direction. I don't think the argument of increased transportation costs holds much water.
Ypsi by Choice
Thu, Apr 8, 2010 : 1:47 p.m.
What seems very obvious, and completely irrational is the logic (on the heels of saving every cent) that the majority of kids will be bused across town. Understanding that Ypsi is a school of choice and many of the busses perform zig zags everyday, it makes no sense to aggravate the problem by not drawing new lines. The district from chapelle should have been split between Estabrook and Erickson, while having the remaining third population sanction to Adams. Looking past this year, those children who are designated for Adams, but live in the backyard of Perry, will be exhausting more transportation resources as they are sent across town to Adams Explain the rationale of sending those kids so close to Perry CDC across town? In short, this plan is not well thought out.
missypsi
Wed, Apr 7, 2010 : 9:37 a.m.
local boy, I find your logic confusing..."too many at-risk kids at Adams and Chapelle" so the solution is to combine them into a school (Adams) that has the lowest MEAP scores in the district? There is very little room at Erikson or Estabrook for these kids, Adams is the only school with any room, so guess where all those "at-risk" kids will go?
missypsi
Wed, Apr 7, 2010 : 9:14 a.m.
local boy, I find your logic confusing..."too many at-risk kids at Adams and Chapelle" so the solution is to COMBINE them into a school (Adams) that has the lowest MEAP scores in the district? There is very little room at Erikson or Estabrook for these kids, Adams is the ONLY school with any room, so guess where all those "at-risk" kids will go?
local boy
Wed, Apr 7, 2010 : 8:47 a.m.
Schools are just buildings. Teachers, staff, and students make up the school community. Children adapt to change easily, parents less so. Within a week you won't be able to tell the difference. The district needed to be reorganized anyway. Too many at risk kids at Adams and Chapelle. The remaining schools will be enhanced by the new staff and students. Looking forward to the change with much excitement.
missypsi
Tue, Apr 6, 2010 : 7:06 p.m.
What about the kids that are currently attending Estabrook who are from other "out-of-boundary" neighborhoods? Should they be forced to move back to their neighborhood schools to make room for the Chapelle transfers who live closer to Estabrook? I suspect this district just assumes that they will put 200 (2/3) of the Chapelle kids at Adams, whether or not they live close by. This is so wrong...
wln15
Tue, Apr 6, 2010 : 3:15 p.m.
Boundaries need to be redrawn. The children living closest to Estabrook should be able to attend Estabrook. This is such a no brainer! The lottery system should be used for students living out of the boundary for their preferred elementary school. That drawing would determine who can stay or begin attending each school.
krc
Tue, Apr 6, 2010 : 7:15 a.m.
That's exactly right, Ypsimom. What a stupid way to redistribute students. An additional thought is that kids in the neighborhood should be given the choice, not put into a lottery.
Naomi
Mon, Apr 5, 2010 : 8:51 a.m.
The forms we received said preferred school had to be specified by April 30 - not May 1.
ypsimom
Mon, Apr 5, 2010 : 6:35 a.m.
So according to this, school assignment will be completely random based on a lottery if there are more kids than spots? So we could live on block from an elementary school, but end up completely across town? That is insane. They need redraw school boundaries, give preference to the students within the school attendance area and then take students from other areas of the city. What a joke!
quitoslady
Mon, Apr 5, 2010 : 6:10 a.m.
I am so glad we moved before this went down.