• From: Ismail, Ahmed (GPPSS)
    Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 3:31:27 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
    To: Kelly Boll
    Cc: School Board
    Subject: Kelly Boll - Allowing Non Resident Staff Member Children to Attend Our Schools

    Hello, Mrs. Boll,

    Thank you for attending our Board meeting Monday night and for sending us the email below.  You have raised a number of very valid points.

    As was discussed at our Monday night board meeting, this is a huge decision on what has been in the past a decisive issue in our community.  If any decision deserves a true Town Hall meeting at which everyone can have a two way conversation, this is the one. 

    One of my biggest concerns is that there be an open and advertised period of time after open seats are determined by grade level and building so that everyone in community knows which spots are open at what school so that they can feel free to transfer their children if they feel the inclination.  This right to transfer can't be subject to any condition other than an open spot being available.

    In my mind, in order to be fair to our residents, any intra-district transfer policy will have to be distributed to all parents every year along with their other annual documents (not just in our policy manual) along with a list of the open spots and step-by-step instructions on how to transfer.  Once the resident students are moved around, then a new list has to be posted for non-resident staff members.

    The meeting at which this will be voted on is May 23rd, less than two weeks from today.  I am hoping the school system goes overboard in reaching out to the non-parent residents on this issue so that we are not accused of not letting anyone know about this policy change.

    Please keep your thoughts flowing to us.  While I can't (and don't) speak for the other members of the board, I appreciate the time you take in expressing your concerns to us at our board meetings and by email.

    Yours truly,

    Ahmed Ismail

    Ahmed Ismail, Trustee

    Grosse Pointe Public School System

    Phone: 313-343-9060 (The Portrait Place - 10am-5pm)

    Email: ismaila@gpschools.com

     

    Notice to Recipient:  The views expressed in this transmittal and its attachments (if any) are those of its author individually and are not necessarily shared by the other members of the Grosse Pointe Public School System's Board of Trustees and/or its administration.  If you would like the official school board position on an issue or would like to communicate to all of the members of the school board at once, please send your email to schoolboard@gpschools.org.  Thank you. 

     

    From: Kelly Boll
    Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 2:53:27 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
    To: Judy Gafa
    Cc: School Board
    Subject: Re: Enrollment Policy

    Thank you, Judy, for offering to email me the link. I and others will appreciate having the answers to the many questions pertaining to the proposed revisions to the enrollment policy.

    However, it seems to me the time frame for the Board to entertain and process community feedback once the answers are posted will be very short, especially if you are not able to post the FAQ and answers by Friday and can only get them out sometime next week. Indeed, the answers may only prompt more questions from the taxpayers. For a policy change of such momentous impact, it would seem that a more cautious course of consideration would be the better path.

    Why the rush to make this decision? Has the Board hammered out all the potential legal issues?

    I'd appreciate your insights into these questions,
    Kelly Boll