Back to School (Whats Old is New Again)

New schools, new beginnings

   The new school year arrived Tuesday full of new beginnings for the estimated 1.5 million public school children in Michigan who headed back to the classroom.

   In Inkster, more than 2,200 students returned to school in new districts because of the dissolution of Inkster Public Schools this summer. Former Buena Vista students also started in new schools, as that district also was dissolved because of a financial crisis. Gloria Ru-bis, superintendent for Bridgeport-Spaulding Schools, which absorbed some of the Buena Vista kids, said the transition likely would last the entire school year.

   Elsewhere in the metro area, students in Macomb County’s Chippewa Valley Schools grappled with new security measures; students at Livonia’s Stevenson High School got newly renovated classrooms because of a voter-approved millage; a new charter school opened in Waterford, and Detroit Public Schools debuted its new community schools concept, offering a range of social services and extracurricular activities to students and parents.

From left, Kyndal Radford, 8, Braylon Ball, 8, and Brie Stachowski, 7, use tiles to work out math problems during the first day of school Tuesday at Jefferson International Academy, a new charter school in Waterford. MANDI WRIGHT/DETROIT FREE PRESS

Juniors Jalyn Robinson, 16, left, and Tayla Cornelius, 16, are two of 100 former Inkster students who now attend Romulus High after the Inkster district was dissolved this summer because of financial problems. REGINA H. BOONE/DFP

A new year,a fresh start

Changes greet students on the first day of school

By Lori Higgins and Chastity Pratt Dawsey Detroit Free Press Education Writers

   After a school year that ended sadly last spring, Inkster students started classes Tuesday hoping for solace, warmth and progress.

   More than 2,200 students returned to school in new districts because of the dissolution of Inkster Public Schools this summer. They were among the state’s 1.5 million public school children who kicked off the 2013-14 school year across the state.

   Among the estimated 100 former Inkster students to start school at Romulus High on Tuesday was Tayla Cornelius, 16, a junior. She said the last school year at Inkster High was stormy after a student died in a car crash and the school district crumbled under a financial deficit. The first day at Romulus High was like a break in the clouds, kicking off with a motivational speaker. Tayla said.

   A transition also was happening in Saginaw County, where the dissolution of the Buena Vista School District dispersed nearly 250 students to nearby districts. Gloria Ru-bis, superintendent for Bridgeport-Spaulding

   Schools, said many of the former Buena Vista parents weren’t aware they would need to register before their kids could attend school, and that led to a hectic day for office staff.

   “It wasn’t disorganized. It wasn’t chaotic. It was just busy all day long,” she said.

   And Detroit Public Schools, the state’s largest district, began the year with what it’s calling new community schools. Twenty-one school buildings will be open up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, offering a range of social services and extracurricular activities to students and parents.

   “I can’t wait!” said Tracy Carpenter, principal at Mackenzie Elementary Middle School. “I think we signed up to get everything!”

   So far, the community schools each have a caseworker from the state Department of Human Services on-site to serve parents who receive state assistance and to connect other parents with medical, housing and job assistance. In total, DHS has placed 87 caseworkers in 90 schools in Wayne County — 80 in DPS buildings and 10 in Detroit schools in the Educational Achievement Authority, the state’s district for the lowest-peforming schools.

   At Jefferson International Academy in Waterford, a new charter school run by the Hanley-Harper management company, Jalivia Palmer was nervous about starting in a new school. Then she saw Elaina Wade, and all was OK.

   “I made a new friend,” said Jalivia, 9, who’s in a split fourth- and fifth-grade class. “It helped me gain my confidence.”

   Principal Elizabeth Ruff said the school will have an international focus, with the goal of preparing students for eventual enrollment at another Hanley-Harper school, the Taylor International Academy in Southfield. That school — a K-12 school — is working toward certification as an International Baccalaureate (IB) program for its high school grades.

   Jalivia said she hopes the school will help her become smarter. Elaina said she likes that the class sizes are small.

   In Livonia, students at Stevenson High School arrived to new lockers, new lighting and classrooms that have been rebuilt from top to bottom. The improvements, part of a voter-approved millage, are creating a whole new vibe in the school, principal James Gibbons said.

   “The renovations have given the building a new feel, both academically and socially,” he said.

   At the Detroit School of Arts, staff cuts drew protest and angst. The school, housed in a $122-million building, enrolled less than 500 students last year, though it has a capacity of 800. DPS cut the eighth period from the schedule and cut eight staff at the specialized school. Amid outcry from parents and students, four positions were restored during the past week.

   Michelle Zdrodowski, spokeswoman for DPS, said the school operates at a deficit every year because it requires an academic staff as well as arts instructors. Administrators will be required to teach classes that were formerly taught by the dismissed staff, she said.

   Val Watson of Detroit has a son who is a senior music major at the school. His schedule had two electives when she checked it, compared with three electives in past years.

   “I would like the classes restored. ... Parents are taking their kids out because of the instability and uncertainty,” she said.

   While most public schools started Tuesday, today will be the first day of school for students who attend 12 schools in the EAA. It also will be a belated first day for students at Crothers Elementary in Warren — in the Center Line School District — which was closed Tuesday after weekend storms caused flooding.

   Contact Lori Higgins: 313-222-6651or lhiggins@freepress.com  

New friends Jalivia Palmer, 9, and Elaina Wade, 10, sit near each other on the first day of school Tuesday at Jefferson International Academy, a new charter school in Waterford. Jalivia was nervous about starting at a new school, but then, “I made a new friend,” she said. “It helped me gain my confidence.”

   MANDI WRIGHT/

   DETROIT FREE PRESS