“I don’t appreciate being shipped out of the district,” said Pam Strunk, parent of a six-year-old SXI student at Lakeville Elementary, “but I do understand what they’re doing.”
Strunk’s statement echoes the opinion of many SXI parents who recently learned that Oxford Area Community School officials are preparing to transfer students in the SXI program to county-wide programs outside of the district. “This is the direction we are going unless the needs of the district change,” said Special Education Director Dr. Jerry Oermann. “This means more students in need of the service in the district.”
Currently, Oxford Schools is employing one teacher, two parapros and a nurse for one classroom with nine students. When the program was originally brought to Oxford around four and a half years ago, the district had enough students for two classrooms.
Also, of the nine students using the service, five are from the Lake Orion school district.
“The need has been steadily declining,” explained Oermann. “At least one, possibly two, will be leaving this year.”
Causes other than parent removal include the lack of a population base and the passing away of several students.
“This is a medically fragile group,” said Oermann, who continued by saying that the district also doesn’t have any students in need of the program for the next couple of years.
“There are some not ready for this program out there, but not in the next year or so,” he added.
The proposed plan is to assist the students in finding another program to fit their educational needs. However, the students will still be a part of the district, which makes Oxford Schools responsible for their transportation and the county responsible for the student’s educational costs.
Dr. Oermann emphasized that the decision to close the program has not been caused by a lack of funding or budget cuts. In fact, any cost savings caused by the move are minimal.
“Whether there were budget cuts or not, we would be looking at doing this,” he said.
In addition, Oermann stated that the decision is not permanent. If district needs change over time, school officials will consider reopening the class.
“Do I need 30 more kids to keep it open, no,” he said, “do I need just two more – that probably won’t do it either.”
Parents were first notified about the proposal in a letter sent home around February 21. They were later able to ask questions and make comments during a forum held this past Thursday.
All in all, many SXI parents are unhappy with the change, but understand the situation.
Strunk stated that she personally approves of the move for her son, because she feels that Oxford can no longer offer him the programs he needs.
“It was going to be getting to this point anyway,” she said, “where our kids just weren’t getting the services they need.”
Parent Lianne Cooper, who has a 3 1/2-year-old in the program, disagrees and is quite happy with the classroom, parapros and program.
“When I first got the letter, I was livid,” she said. “And I would still like for her to be in Oxford.”
For Cooper, the biggest concern is not knowing the new school community. Currently, she is able to keep a close eye on her daughter through neighbors, friends and family in the school. In fact, many of her friends and family volunteer in the SXI room.
“I’m going to miss the community contact,” she said. “I have friends and neighbors who go in and read to kids and spend time with them.”
Another concern for many parents is the bus ride.
Dr. Oermann agreed that the ride would be longer for the children, but the trade off will be the services and programs available at a larger school.
“When you have 180 students you can do a lot more than with only nine,” he explained.
Another common statement has been that school officials could have done a better job of forewarning parents.
Cooper said she heard rumors about the change this past June when her daughter first entered the program.
“It just seemed to me like everyone else already knew,” she said. “I asked administrators about it in June and wish they had answered me then.”
Strunk also felt the proposal could have been made more public and knew a couple parents who were taken by surprise.
Finally, some parents voiced a concern about whether the other programs will have room for their students.
Dr. Oermann assured parents this was not going to happen in this situation. In fact, he added that Oxford officials have been working in conjunction with the Lake Orion School district to assure spaces for the students.
“These are Oxford students,” he said. “If there is not a program available, I will provide something for the interim.”
The teacher and parapros involved with the program will be able to bid for other positions in the district based on seniority and through their respective associations. The only contracted position that will not be renewed for the upcoming school year is for the class nurse.
Dr. Oermann will be working with parents over the next month to visit with two different programs: Kingsley Montgomery Waterford and Wing Lake in Bloomfield Hills. In April, the schools will review the students to see if their programs fit the children’s needs.
Final decisions will be made in May, and the plan is for students to begin attending new programs in July.