Ferndale School District Considers Facilities as CASA Moves and Kulick Remains Empty
(Crystal A. Proxmire, March 13, 2023)
Ferndale, Oak Park, MI – Teaching teens about music, dance, art, technology, and science requires classrooms with talented teachers and support staff. It also requires the classrooms themselves. That’s the main reason those in charge of the seven district consortium CASA (Center for Advanced Studies and the Arts) made the decision to move classes from their current location in the Ferndale School District to NOVA Academy at 22180 Parklawn in the Oak Park District.
Students in the program come from Berkley, Clawson, Ferndale, Lamphere, Madison, Oak Park and Pontiac Districts. Each district has equal weight in the choices made for the program.
The decision was announced earlier this month, leaving some in Ferndale sad to see the program moving and concerned about how district properties will be used.
A letter from Ferndale Schools to parents says “One of the major issues facing our district was the timeline for the construction of the new Lower Elementary School. CASA is scheduled to be demolished during the Summer of 2023, but the students in the Roosevelt building would not move into the new building until the Summer/Fall of 2024. CASA students may not have been able to move into the renovated Roosevelt building until Summer 2025.”
“Districts all across the state have faced supply chain and lead-time issues for capital projects, and we have worked diligently to mitigate those issues, however the challenges remain,” the letter stated.
Options would have included pausing the program or trying to make the program virtual, though none of the districts wanted that according to the letter. No other building in the Ferndale District could accommodate the classes.
This leaves Ferndale Schools with the task of figuring out what to do with the building.
“We will be convening the facilities committee in order to get input from the community on the future use for Roosevelt. We have no intention of selling the property but will not settle on a use without community input. Some requests we have received include expanding our child care offerings to include services for infants. Roosevelt will continue to house Lower until August 2024 so we have ample time to find a solution that will be of great benefit to our community,” said Ferndale Schools Superintendent Dr. Bobbie Hayes Goodrum.
The District also is tasked with finding a purpose for the former Kulick Community Center, located at 1201 Livernois. The District owns the building, but leased it to the City of Ferndale beginning in 2000. It provided space for recreation activities, Parks and Recreation offices, classes, meetings, and fitness. A playground on the property remains accessible to the public, though the building has been vacant since before the pandemic due to deteriorating conditions, including the heating system and the roof. In September the City of Ferndale and the District agreed to end the lease, putting the ball back in the District’s court as far as what to do with it.
When asked about that property, Hayes Goodrum told Oakland County Times “Kulick has undergone extensive structural audits and and we have been advised that it is far too expensive to bring the building up to code. The current plan is to demolish the building and expand the green space in that location.”
Other facilities are being upgraded as part of the 2020 bond. ” We look forward to completing our new Lower Elementary School and will be making structural updates to the Roosevelt and Ferndale High School campuses.”
Dr. Hayes Goodrum said she understands the concern of residents. “Our facilities are valuable resources and the schools are a vital part of our community. We always endeavor to make decisions that best serve the needs of our students, their families and our community at large,” she said.
Find out more about Ferndale Schools and 2020 bond projects at http://www.ferndaleforward.com/
Learn more about CASA at https://www.casa-online.org/.
Pictured: Ferndale students at the 2022 groundbreaking for Lower Elementary, credit Cheryl Weiss.
