Albion Public Schools wants other districts to stop sending buses to Albion to pick up school of choice kids.
Credit Bill McChesney / Creative Commons http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM
The superintendent of Albion Public Schools wants nearby districts to stop sending buses to Albion to pick up school-of-choice students.
Jerri-Lynn Williams-Harper sent a letter to several neighboring districts including Concord, Homer, and Springport, asking them to stop the practice immediately.
Williams-Harper said she understands the schools have the right to send buses to her district, but she says it's not something she herself would do.
"When any district sends buses into another district, they're sort of poking a hole at the tightly knit, woven weave of that district's fabric," Williams-Harper said.
Williams-Harper said she wants Albion students to attend their home schools.
"Parents have a choice; they make those choices," she said. "But would they make those same choices if there wasn't a school bus available?"
Two years ago, Albion made the decision to close its high school due to budget constraints. The district still serves around 550 K-8 students.
Al Widner, superintendent of Concord Community Schools, said that limitation puts Albion in a unique position.
"There is no option for Albion High School students to attend schools in Albion, so they have to go somewhere," he said. "We're delighted when they select Concord Schools."
Widner said around 140 students from Albion attend Concord Schools.
He said he has no plans to stop sending buses to pick them up.
