West Bloomfield School District sets forth redistricting plan

WEST BLOOMFIELD — Earlier this year, the West Bloomfield School District announced the decision to transition from five elementary schools to four beginning in the fall term later this year.

The current elementary schools in the district are Roosevelt, Doherty, Sheiko, Gretchko and Scotch.

After there was a partial roof collapse at Roosevelt in 2022, students from that school were moved to Abbott, which was previously a middle school.

With the decision to redistrict, students in the district will be placed at either Doherty, Sheiko, Gretchko or Scotch, with Roosevelt closing at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.

According to its website, on Jan. 22, the district was scheduled to communicate with families via email about their placement for the 2024-2025 school term.

Change of placement request forms were due Feb. 14, with a final determination made and communication sent to families Feb. 23.

All four elementary buildings, beginning next school term, will be kindergarten-fifth grade.

“We communicated the decision to transition to four K-5 elementary buildings next year,” the district stated on its website. “This includes redistricting and changes of schools for students. We know that change brings uncertainty. Yet, we are confident that this change is best for the long-term success of the West Bloomfield School District.”

The release also stated that spring events and activities are planned to help get students and staff acclimated to their respective schools. The district has shared a redistricting map with families.

As part of the redistricting, Sheiko Elementary will move into the Abbott building for two years while the new building for that school is constructed.

The district’s Magnet Program, which is for students who are in third through fifth grades and considered “academically talented,” is set to be at Scotch.

According to the release, the district’s central office will move to Abbott during the 2026-27 school year.

Questions about the transition can be addressed to james.stottlemyer@wbsd.org or rebecca.fannon@wbsd.org.

A variety of events have been scheduled in April and May to help students, families and caregivers prepare for the transition.

According to the district, several committees have been formed to address details such as lunch schedules, bus routes, staff placements, building signage, and students and staff transition plans.

“With change comes complexity and challenges, but we will work through it together,” the district release states. “These changes make it possible for us to focus funding on the people and programs that make WBSD a great district. We can navigate through this transition together, and we look forward to implementing your ideas throughout that process. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we move forward together.”

Local resident Stacey McDuffie has two children who are Roosevelt students. With redistricting, most Roosevelt students “will be placed between Gretchko and Scotch Elementary schools,” according to the district.

She is of the opinion that Roosevelt students are being “displaced unfairly.”

“Next year, they’re going to split the school in half,” McDuffie told the Beacon on the evening of a Jan. 22 Board of Education meeting. “So basically, they’re just going to disburse us among the district. The kids who are there are probably some of the most disadvantaged children — there are kids who get themselves off to school.”

McDuffie also took issue with the timing of the announcement.

“If you’re going to do this, don’t do it in January, when the end of the school year is in June,” she said. “Give us a year to make sure these kids have a good handoff with staff. The staff is being uprooted. Everything that’s normal to them is just going to be blown apart.”

West Bloomfield resident John Calvin is the parent of three students in the district, including one who has attended Roosevelt. From his perspective, students from Roosevelt are being treated like everybody else.

“Every kid in the district is being shuffled this year,” Calvin said. “Everybody is going through the adjustment — the whole district. … The name of the school’s going to be different. That’s it. You need a year to prepare for that?”

Calvin does not agree that Roosevelt students are being displaced.

“The kids who went to Roosevelt, I think all of them are … are now going to go to Gretchko and Scotch because Roosevelt won’t exist anymore. … But because Sheiko’s got to be rebuilt and they have Abbott, the district made the decision … let’s put the Sheiko kids in Abbott for a year while we’re building the new building,” he said. “So, the one didn’t cause the other. The Sheiko kids are not displacing Roosevelt kids. The Roosevelt kids were going to Gretchko and Scotch regardless, so the one has nothing to do with the other.”

The district shared its perspective of the primary advantages of redistricting.

“This new plan moves all four elementary buildings to a K-5 model, reducing transitions,” an email from a district representative states. “Previously one building was K-5 and the others were K-2, 3-5. Moving from five to four school buildings allows the district to focus funding on the people and programs that make a West Bloomfield education so special, while reducing costs for buildings and administration.”

For more information, visit wbsd.org/about-us/k5redistricting.