There is a refresher on why the decision was made to combine Taylor's two high schools into one. Next year, the merged Taylor High School will be located in the Truman building. Kennedy will close.
Why
was the decision made to merge the two high schools?
Due
to ongoing concerns about declining student enrollment, and the fact that
Kennedy HS is two-stories, non ADA accessible, and has a failed pool heater and
pump, compromised boiler system, and it is a challenge to offer all of the
robust high school electives that the districts wishes to offer, the district
decided to merge the two high schools.
Why
was the decision made to close Kennedy and not Truman?
Kennedy
HS is the older of the two schools, the building is two stories without an
elevator for wheelchair-bound students, has a failed pool heater and pump, a
failing boiler system, and has less functional capacity than Truman HS.
How
is this merger good for students?
The
merger will allow the district to offer students greater access to core and
elective classes, and greater sports and other extra-curricular opportunities
with a more efficient staffing model on one campus, rather than splitting the
programs between two half-full high schools.
How
will this affect our athletic teams?
The
merger will allow the entire athletic program to be strengthened relative to
our Downriver League districts as we double the number of potential athletes
for each sport we offer. In addition, the district will have larger
numbers of combined students which will allow us to offer some sports that we
have been unable to offer in recent years.
How
much will the merger of the schools save the district money?
The
merger is projected to save the district between 1.8-2 million dollars as a
result of the closure of Kennedy High School. These savings come in the areas
of personnel, facilities upkeep, and utilities savings.
What
curricular improvements will the district be able to make as a result of the
merger?
The
district is in the process of performing a comprehensive review of all of our
high school curricula and staff are working on redesigning the high school into
career pathway academies that will help make core and elective courses more
relevant for all of our high school students.
Will
any teachers lose their jobs as a result of the merger?
A
few teachers will lose their positions as a result of the merger, but only in
the areas where there is redundancy. By planning ahead and working
proactively to compress these areas through attrition, over the past 18 months
in anticipation of this merger, the district has already completed some of
these reductions. Most notable of these personnel reductions that have
already been addressed are combinations are the areas of the band director
position and the ROTC lead and support instructor positions.
What
other employee groups might lose positions as a result of the merger?
Other
reductions will come in the areas of administrative, clerical, custodial, and
coaching staff positions and a few others that have yet to be determined.
With
double the number of kids at Truman High School next year, will the kids be
safe? What supports will the district have in place?
Yes,
the students will be safe and supported next school year in the merged high
school. The district will be moving additional personnel who are
currently working at Kennedy HS over to Truman HS. The district will be
moving guidance counselors, social work, assistant principal, and security
guard positions over to Truman HS to support the social and emotional needs of
all students.
Will
the high school merger affect the bus pick up times for high school students?
Some
of the bus routes will need to be adjusted to ensure even and efficient bus
coverage throughout the district for next school year. Some of the
pick-up and drop-off times might change as a result of these adjustments, but
if they do, they will only change by a small margin.
