Andover, Lahser to Merge Into One High School for Fall 2013

Bloomfield Hills Andover and Lahser will become one high school on two campuses in 2013 under a plan approved by school board members early this morning.

The consolidation will be phased in and carries a $79 million price tag for expansion of the . The unanimous vote closed a marathon meeting that included detailed presentations by consultants and impassioned remarks from roughly two dozen residents both for and against the idea. School Board President Ingrid Day could not attend due to a family emergency, officials said.

Merging on both high school campuses is an interim plan until all the students can be moved to the Andover site, which is expected to save the district about $2.5 million. Funding for the project will require voter support and Superintendent Rob Glass said he expects the measure  to be on the November 2012 ballot. Neither the ballot language nor the funding request has been determined.

Glass initially proposed a Bloomfield Hills High School concept for the fall of 2012, and believed that was the way to go as late as Monday. However, discussions with board members and staff showed him it was too soon. The extra time will enable more  careful planning for the transition and any needed contingencies, while minimizing he impact on students. Glass said he really feared starting the transition for students in September 2012 only to have the process stalled two months later if voters reject a millage request.

The district failed to get voter support to merge the schools in three previous attempts, including in November.

The contentious issue dominated and had him calling for an end to the acrimony.

"I want this done, it has to be done," he said prior to the vote. "This organization, this community, cannot withstand another year like this."

Both he and several board members have been targeted by residents upset that the district continues to work toward consolidation despite the recent millage votes. A recall petition against Day, Vice President Ed Ford, and members Cynthia von Oeyen and Kate Pettersen was reportedly refiled Thursday by the grassroots Bloomfield 20/20 organization.

Matt Zellen, a Lahser graduate who recently moved back to the community with his family, said he's joined the 20/20 effort because he believes the district should emphasize spending on teachers, curriculum and programming.

He and a handful of others carried recall signs outside the building as the crowd of hundreds entered.

"All of us want better education for the kids in the community and we're willing to spend the money to get that, but not on bricks and mortar," he said.

The majority of the two dozen speakers to address the board Thursday spoke in favor of consolidation, or at least for making a decision.

"It was the wrong thing in 2003," said Dennis Kavanagh, referring to a previous millage request exceeding $100 million. "And now it's time to move on. Not everyone will be happy but we have to move on. It's time to end the divisiveness in the community."

There was little divisiveness at the Doyle Center when board members voted just before 1 a.m. Just a handful of residents and district employees were left at the time of the decision and most cheered and applauded.

Glass said a transition team consisting of the high school principals, the athletic director and key administrative staff have already met and will begin planning for necessary changes in curriculum, athletics, special education, transportation and technology. In the short term, the district will consider several options for housing the students in the fall of 2013, including splitting grades 9 and 10 on one campus and grades 11 and 12 on the other.

The board also approved architects at Fielding Nair International to continue their work on the project. They chose an option that is 30 percent building renovation and 70 percent new construction, which should drastically change the character and layout of the current facility.

The first phase of construction would add roughly 70,000 square feet of instruction space and improvements to critical infrastructure that has decayed over the years. The second phase would include improvements to essential co-curricular programs, such as band and music rooms, a larger, modernized auditorium, and pool. Both phases could be done at the same time for nearly $50 million within two years if all students and teachers are moved off-site. The remaining phase, which includes the library, gym and cafeteria, could be completed shortly after, or not at all if voter support isn't there, Glass said.

Officials said they expect to enroll 1,650 students at the new combined high school by the time it opens in fall 2015.

The district could have all three phases complete within 34 months and save between 2 percent and 3 percent on the final cost if students are moved off-site.