The Lansing (Mich.) school board has approved a reorganization plan that keeps all three high schools in the district open by moving grades seven and eight to the campuses.
The changes will create 12 schools with grades pre-K to 3, and five schools with grades 4 to 6. Eastern and Sexton high schools will accommodate grades 7 to 12 this fall, and Everett will become a 7-12 building in 2014.
The restructuring means that Otto Middle School and Elmhurst, Wainwright and Bingham elementary schools will close.
"Will a reconfiguration be messy at times?" Interim Superintendent Yvonne Caamal Canul wrote in a letter to the district. "You bet. Will it cause some confusion, uncertainty, and a little trepidation? More than likely. Will it be a plan the district can be proud of, that will set us apart from every other district in Michigan and bring back our esprit de corps? Yes it will – but only if we work together for the good of the whole."
