Brandon Twp.-Noressia Sockwell lives in Pontiac, but is experiencing life in a rural setting.
Sockwell is a junior at Brandon High School, a school of choice.
‘There’s more to life than Pontiac,? says Sockwell. ‘I get to go to school in Ortonville. I experience the city and the country.?
Sockwell said her mother chose Brandon High School for her and her brother Stefon after hearing good things about it. Some of her friends from Pontiac Northern High School had already transferred and Sockwell’s mother wanted to try something new.
The Sockwell siblings are among 248 students who attend Brandon Schools but live out of district and are two of the 113 students who come from the Pontiac district to attend school here.
Brandon has been a ‘school of choice,? meaning accepting students from outside the district, since 1996. During their first year in the schools of choice program, Brandon had six students from out of the district. Less than ten years later, 248 students from other districts now attend Brandon School District.
‘We think public schools should accept students without being confined to specific boundaries,? says Bart Jenniches, Brandon Schools superintendent. ‘We also had space available to allow kids to come in.?
Every year, around June and December, the district begins accepting applications for fall and winter semesters, respectively. Students are not selected based on anything other than whether space is available in their grade. If space is limited, a random drawing is held for the number of spots available. Students can be turned away if they have been expelled from another district or have numerous suspensions.
Jenniches said the schools of choice program is very effective for Brandon, particularly considering the district receives $6,700 per student from the state. The increase of students from out of district means more money for Brandon.
‘We’re getting $1,615,000 for the district because of these kids,? Jenniches said.
Even with additional costs factored in, such as the cost to hire 10 additional teachers (with benefits) to keep the classes at 25 students each and costs for supplies, Jenniches figures there is still $600,000 left over to spend on programs for all kids.
‘It’s good business,? he said.
Nicole Gonzales is the mother of three children at Brandon High School? Andrea Gonzales, and Louie and Savannah Santos. The family recently moved to Auburn Hills from Pontiac but remained in the Pontiac district. Gonzales? children attended Pontiac schools when they were small, but she was unhappy with the curriculum and how they were taught.
Gonzales herself grew up in the Pontiac schools.
‘I know how the crowd is and it just gets tougher every year,? she said. ‘They’re just not good schools? mostly academically, but I didn’t like the influence of other students in Pontiac.?
Gonzales originally placed her kids in Springfield Christian Academy on Dixie Highway, where they attended until Louie finished eighth grade.
‘I didn’t really like it there,? said Louie Santos, now a sophomore at Brandon High School. ‘They tried to discipline more than they tried to teach and they didn’t have any good electives.?
Gonzales began looking for another school and settled on Brandon for her children.
‘I searched around, there were a few other places I had in mind, but they weren’t schools of choice. I knew Brandon was a Blue Ribbon school, so I thought it would be the best place for them.?
Gonzales is thankful there are schools of choice, since safety was a concern for her in Pontiac. She cited children in Pontiac having to go through metal detectors at school, with guns and knives and bomb threats things she didn’t want her kids to have to worry about.
Safety concerns and academic offerings are just two reasons, says Jenniches, that parents may choose to send their child to schools of choice. He also mentioned athletic opportunities and convenience as other reasons parents might choose a school out of district.
There are 15 students who reside within the Brandon district who choose to attend school elsewhere, Jenniches says? six in Waterford, five in Holly, and one each in Clawson, Huron Valley, Oxford and West Bloomfield. There is no questioning of this, and it doesn’t seem to bother Jenniches at all.
Dr. Mildred Mason, Pontiac Schools superintendent, professes support of schools of choice, even with a seemingly high number of students having left to Brandon alone.
‘We should provide as many options as possible for parents and children,? she says. ‘Our district participates because we believe in it. We also have children in the Pontiac district from other districts. We are looking at the county as a classroom, not just our own district. Sooner or later, we’ll have to look at it with a much larger perspective since we are a global community.?
Jenniches cites the diversity of students coming in as schools of choice participants as another benefit.
‘It brings more diversity of races and religions to Brandon,? he said. ‘It’s a positive thing to expose kids to these things, it’s what the world is all about. Different races and cultures provide a broader base for kids who live here. I believe that’s a plus.?
Noressia Sockwell says she was content in Pontiac and at first was disappointed and scared to leave her friends and the environment she knew.
‘I had to adjust to the environment here as a whole,? says Sockwell, who had been offered a full college scholarship to Oakland University as a student at Pontiac Northern and gave that up to come here. ‘But it’s actually been great? a really good experience. I immediately jumped in and fit in with the whole situation.?