Mike’s Message - Charlevoix Public Schools

Three Facilities, Two Schools, Now What?

When I arrived in Charlevoix in July of 2015, I knew that we would need to tackle the question of facilities in a relatively quick fashion.  I began by talking to many stakeholders including the board of education, staff, parents and community members.  Those conversations led to the formation of a facility study team that would ultimately provide guidance in our district for the next 20+ years.  

Here are a some of the important factors the committee learned throughout the early stages of the study.  Approximately four years ago, the middle school was closed with the exception of a few special programs such as Head Start and our Round Lake Educational Center High School.  We researched the impact on the general fund dollars being spent to keep the facility open and found there to be minimal recent impact largely due to a warm winter with minimal snow removal expenditures.  The facility team also learned that a significant portion of the 2015 bond dollars are allocated to Charlevoix Elementary School and in order to use those dollars in a prudent fashion, we would need to determine the use of that facility for the long-term.

So what steps did the facility team take given this information?  The team began by reviewing an extensive study completed by Ray Kendra from Environmental Architects.  Ray determined in his study that both Charlevoix Elementary School and Round Lake Educational Center would each require significant improvements to keep them viable as schools for the next 20+ years.  After the team completed tours of the facilities, they recommended that we seek input from our elementary staff.   The facility team next set out to create four viable options based on research and staff input.  We then enlisted Ray Kendra to create some rough estimates and architectural drawings to be shared in our community forums and tours.

After the community forums were held, the facility team created brief surveys for the staff and community to complete.  Once the survey information had been collected, the team reconvened to review the responses from the staff and community members that participated.

Based on the results of the survey responses, engineering research and deep conversation, the facility study team unanimously recommended option 3, which included building a new elementary school at the Round Lake Campus.  Mr. Ben Muladore a leader on the facility study team was asked to present the findings to the board of education on January 16, 2017.  On behalf of the committee, Mr. Muladore recommended option 3.  One of the factors he shared was that the survey data showed strong support for having a school in the city adjacent to Kipke Field.  This option also allowed for the existing gym and mechanical rooms to be renovated and used in conjunction with the new proposed school.

The board of education will next discuss the facility study teams recommendation and determine future steps.  I want to personally thank the facility team for their dedication to the current and future students of Charlevoix Public Schools!