The Pontiac school district could be dissolved and students assigned to other districts under legislation being worked on in the House of Representatives Education Committee in Lansing.
During testimony on the controversial option, Oakland Schools intermediate Superintendent Vickie Markavitch offered her own proposal — a school system in financial emergency would be taken over by the intermediate district of that county for three to six years until it was financially and academically back on its feet. Then it would return to local control.
Although Markavitch favors her solution, she is not in opposition to the idea of dissolving a district, which would be divided according to geography and several other factors. Dissolution in other states has helped raise student achievement, she said.
Testimony will continue in Lansing beginning again at 9 a.m. Thursday in the committee chaired by Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons of Alto near Grand Rapids on two bills on the process of dissolving school districts in financial emergency.
Pontiac, Buena Vista and Inkster districts are among those being mentioned. However, there are 55 districts in Michigan that are in deficit.
At the same time, Gov. Rick Snyder is in the process of appointing a review team to examine Pontiac school district’s finances and determine whether the district is in a financial emergency.
Under current law, if the district is deemed to be in an emergency situation, the Pontiac school board would have the option of taking on an emergency manager, bankruptcy or consent agreement.
If the new proposals were made law, it could mean that state officials could impose the dissolution instead — if the district didn’t have enough money to open or operate for an entire year.
Under the House proposals under discussion, the districts to which the children are transferred would not receive the debt, nor would low test scores travel with the children to their welcoming districts.
The new districts would have two or three years to bring the grades up before they would be averaged into the new districts’ test scores.
Pontiac school district spreads from Pontiac into portions of seven surrounding communities including Auburn Hills, Sylvan Lake, Lake Angeles and townships of Bloomfield, Orion, Waterford and West Bloomfield.
The adjacent school districts to which the Pontiac school district children would be most likely be transferred are Bloomfield Hills, Avondale, Waterford, West Bloomfield and Lake Orion school districts.
Markavitch said where possible the children would be absorbed by the receiving district. If there was no room available in another district, the children might continue to remain in their Pontiac school that would be operated by the receiving district.
Officials from those districts are keeping ears and eyes on discussions but most don’t feel they have enough information to take a position.
However, Avondale Superintendent George Heitsch said he favors Markavitch’s proposal to have the intermediate district operate a financially distressed school system temporarily to get it back on its feet.
“It keeps it a local issue in the county and allows us all to help resolve those issues,” said Heitsch, who points out that superintendents throughout the county work together with Oakland Schools on projects to help all students.
As far as dissolving districts, Heitsch said, “I think that may be part of ultimate solution, but it is premature.
“I think there are a lot of issues that need to be resolved before getting to that point.
“I would agree that every child in the state of Michigan deserves a quality education and we need to do whatever we can to ensure that,” Heitsch said.
City Manager of Auburn Hills Peter Auger favors the proposal to dissolve the district.
“It would be a great move. It would remove the politics. There are certain districts not serving the children, so why do we keep them alive?
“Get the children to a place they can learn and give them a change.
“This new law would stop the district from digging into more debt. And I think any educator that went into a career to be a teacher doesn’t do it for the district, they do it for kids,” Auger said.
Under the dissolution proposals, the intermediate district or state school superintendent would be expected to determine how to divide up the children between the districts with consideration of several factors.
Receiving districts would receive slightly more in state aid for the new students and employees who continue to work for the new district will have pay and benefits of the receiving district. Those not immediately hired would have first option for interviews for job openings for two years.
Contact Diana Dillaber Murray at 248-745-4638 or diana.dillaber@oakpress.com or follow her on Twitter at @DDillybar.
