Goodrich — Although no concrete numbers will be available until 2004, Goodrich school officials are discussing the squeeze future growth could put on the district.
The district could accomodate a maximum of 632 new students before being forced into portable classrooms, adding on, or completing new construction, said Goodrich Schools Superintendent Raymond Green, although the figure is “based on doing things we’d rather not do.”
Maxing out existing facilities would mean shuffling programs and assigning more students per teacher in each classroom, a possibility that neither board members nor administrators welcomed at Monday’s meeting.
“I’m maxed out right now,” said Oaktree Elementary Principal Kim Hart.
A professional consultant could produce a 10-year student population projection, based on fourth-Friday counts and any anomalies such as new development, Green said.
“I think it’s an exaggeration to say 1,000 (additional students),” said Green, referring to the possible influx of students from the proposed Grand Blanc Township Glendale Farms Partnership development at Vassar and Baldwin roads. Green prefers to base student projections on figures of one student per home for starter homes, or one-half student per home for houses priced at $250,000 or more.
The 2,086 students in the district reside in approximately 2,500 households, said Green, a ratio of approximately one student per home.
“Even at three percent (growth) per year, there has to be some time when new space is provided, whether there’s new development or not.”
A move to redistrict would be based not only on the preferences of Goodrich district residents, but the opinions of those in the already overpopulated Grand Blanc School District. Such a proposal could mean excluding current Goodrich students and should be carefully considered, said Goodrich Board of Education President Michael Thorp.