2 chances to weigh in on Ypsilanti-Willow Run merger this week

Two visioning sessions for community members to weigh in have been scheduled for this week:

• 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Superior Township Hall
• 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Ypsilanti District Library, Whittaker Branch

Two visioning sessions of this nature already took place. One final session is scheduled for July 9.

The Communication and Collaboration Task Force, comprised of school leaders, teachers, board members, parents and other stakeholders in each district, recently expressed a desire to place a proposal for combining the districts on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

The Washtenaw Intermediate School District, which is serving as a third-party facilitator of merger discussions, set forth an aggressive schedule for obtaining public input and creating a strategy for the potential merger.

Willow Run’s Board of Education recently approved an amended deficit elimination plan that would call for closing Willow Run High School in 2013-14, even if the merger with Ypsilanti does not take place. Specific plans for how the two districts’ buildings would be used have not been discussed yet.

A map on the WISD's website shows the geographical areas of the two districts in comparison with other school districts in the county.

A schedule of future public meetings and planning sessions can be found here.

Staff reporter Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.