Schools

GP Schools Superintendent Addresses Residency Concerns

Following discussion regarding residency concerns at last week's school board meeting, Superintendent Tom Harwood shared a letter he wrote to the community addressing the issue.

Residency and enrollment at has spurred a great deal of discussion among the residents of the five communities.

Many of those involved are parents of children in the district currently and have concerns that there are many students taking classes in Grosse Pointe who do not actually live in the Pointes or the section of Harper Woods that is part of the district.

There was not disagreement at the meeting from board members about wanting only children who are residents of the six communities to attend the schools but there has been some disagreement about how to enforce it.

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District officials briefly gave an overview of what goes on now to verify residency, including the higher level of proof required for those renting a home or leasing an apartment. The group wants enforcement to be given much more attention, however, and requested annual re-enrollment.

A re-enrollment was conducted five or six years ago, which cost the district between $80,000 to $90,000--something pointed out during the board meeting last week. The cost is prohibitive to doing it annually, acording to district officials.

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Since that meeting, Grosse Pointe Public Schools Superintendent Tom Harwood has released a letter he wrote to the community explaining the district's dedication to ensuring only students of the Pointes are being allowed into the classrooms. 

He also addresses the changes in the housing market, the economy and to the district historically--all of which impact who is living in the district and how they arrive at school. Additionally, he addresses the portion of Harper Woods that is part of the school district.

The letter is attached to this article as a pdf file in the media area.


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