Six schools in the Farmington (Mich.) district are candidates for closure, a site utilization committee has determined.
The Building and Site Utilization Committee, formed last year to help Farmington develop a long-term facility plan, identified schools and other district facilities that could be closed so that the district could operate more efficiently. The district's enrollment has declined from about 12,400 in 2008 to 10,000 in 2014.
The schools that the district should consider for closing: Beechview, High Meadow and Kenbrook elementary schools; Warner Upper Elementary School; Dunckel Middle School; and Harrison High School. The committee's report said the factors it weighed in choosing the identified schools include the age, size and utilization of the facility; projected enrollment; the potential for expansion; and how a closing would affect attendance boundaries.
Of the three high schools in the district, Harrison High was chosen as a closure candidate because of its central location; its ability to accommodate relocated programs and operations; its high-speed fiber connections; and its potential for collaborative uses with the community and the city of Farmington Hills.
The committee also said Farmington should consider closing or repurposing the district central office; its transportation center; the Maxfield Education Center; and the Facilities Building.
The Detroit Free Press reports that more than 100 people, many of them supporters of Harrison High, filled a board room Tuesday night to give board members their views on the possible school closings.
