GB opts for GISD school of choice plan

GRAND BLANC — The Grand Blanc Board of Education has opted out of the state school of choice program for the 2012-13 school year.

The board unanimously approved a resolution at its Feb. 6 meeting to participate in the Genesee Intermediate School District’s school of choice program, foregoing the one offered by the state.

Deputy Superintendent Clarence Garner said the board’s decision will cap the number of school of choice students allowed into the district to 1 percent of its total enrollment, which equates to 87 students.

The state’s school of choice program requires districts to accept students from any district in the state unless the district has reached its maximum capacity.

Trustee Jay Hoffman said he feels going with the GISD’s program offers Grand Blanc a nice mixture in that they are not denying entry into its schools, but rather supporting its neighboring districts.

“We are not trying to be elitists here,” Hoffman said. “We are trying to look here and say, these are the kids closest to us and we see it as pulling someone from Port Huron isn’t the smart thing to do in having these kids be able to be here.”

Currently, there are 329 district of choice students enrolled in Grand Blanc from 19 different districts within Genesee County.

District Superintendent Dr. Norm Abdella said he does not foresee a problem with limiting the number of school of choice students allowed to come to Grand Blanc.

“Virtually, everyone that opted into our district has been allowed to come in unless they had a discipline record which would prevent them from coming to Grand Blanc,” Abdella said.

Last year, Abdella said Grand Blanc could have taken in 83 school of choice students, but that only about 68 students had opted to come to Grand Blanc.

“As long as I’ve been either superintendent or assistant superintendent, we haven’t come close to the 1 percent (student cap),” Abdella said. “We’ve not hit the 1 percent in either letting students go to other districts or bringing them in.”

In the future, Abdella said such decisions by the board may become obsolete as the state is considering legislation that will require all districts to be on the state school of choice program.

He said currently about half of the school district’s in the county already participate in the state’s program.