The Kalamazoo Public Schools has had plans for a couple of years to build a new El Sol Elementary. What is new is that the district proposes to move the school out of the Vine neighborhood, to a property in the Eastside neighborhood that KPS says will serve students better than the Vine location.
The proposal has drawn criticism from some Vine residents and El Sol parents.
On Thursday the Board of Education viewed a formal presentation on plans for the new El Sol Elementary. Most board members praised it, with the district saying the relocation would give the school the opportunity to enlarge both in size and number of grades, with the potential to offer Kindergarten through 8th grade.
In addition, they cited concerns over parking at the school's current location.
This point was echoed by El Sol parent and KPS employee Stephanie Simpson.
“It's scary. When I park on Oak Street to go into the building and then I leave after school, I've almost gotten ran over three times trying to cut through the bus to get to my car," she said.
"Then I said, wait, maybe I'll park in the back. I never got out. I was in that parking lot for like almost an hour."
Vine resident Alex Demetralis also spoke at the meeting.
He said he liked parts of the plan, but told the board he could not currently support it.
“I'm not upset with the people that came up with this amazing idea. I'm upset with the leadership that mismanaged a project,” Demetralis told the board.
"Great ideas like this should not be controversial. So when they are, it's usually, in my opinion, because the leaders did not support their staff properly. We should have been discussing this months ago."
Residents have also criticized the lack of concrete plans for what will be done with the current El Sol facility if the Board approves moving the school.
In an interview after the meeting, KPS Superintendent Darrin Slade said a decision has not yet been made.
"Normally you do not make a decision about the building that will be closed until after a new building is made," Slade said. "But what we will do is make sure we involve the community and keep them informed of what decision will be made, but that won't be happening anytime soon."
Residents have suggested that the building become a neighborhood pre-K to 2nd or 3rd grade school, but Slade said this would not happen.
He pointed to historical enrollment data for past schools in the neighborhood, like the Vine Street School, which closed in 1983 due to low enrollment.
"We will not be building a neighborhood elementary school or replacing that building and sending students there for a neighborhood elementary school in Vine. The data does not support it," he said.
The plan has also drawn criticism over the nearly $200 million bond that will pay for the construction of the Eastside facility.
Vine residents say the bond, passed in 2022, was advertised on the platform of keeping El Sol in the neighborhood, leading some to label the move a "bait and switch."
This was backed up by an informational page published by KPS about the bond, which said a new El Sol would be built in the Vine.
Though, sometime after this article was published the page became inaccessible, with it now saying it is "undergoing maintenance."
But Superintendent Darrin Slade said these things are subject to change.
Slade added that future bond information will make this fact clear.
“Our goal is to do this, but there's always a chance, because of whatever situation, we will have to change our decisions. So, and I will say; I wasn't around years ago, but that's how you state and present bonds. Nothing is a guarantee.” Slade said.
"I like to be very transparent and honest. I would never do a bait and switch."
He added he hoped that the district's decision on El Sol would not sour Vine residents on KPS.
"Hopefully the Vine community will continue to support the district like they did in the past because we appreciate them and we value their support and also their feedback and opinions."
A vote on the plan is scheduled for January, though Slade said an exact date has not been determined.
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
