Originally conceived as a one-year experiment, the program now faces a major - primarily financial - hurdle. For the next year, the city's public school system faces a potential $3 million shortfall. Concern over the New School's costs - far higher than originally budgeted - and effectiveness have made the fledgling program a potential target for budget cuts. As it now stands, the central administration recommended the retention of the new school with one major caveat - it must move from the Stone School building to the confines of Huron High School. Some city school board trustees advocated elimination of the alternative program altogether.
Opponents of the New School's current structure point to a number of factors - both financial and academic - in their request for changes. Critics utilize issues of achievement and security in their arguments - during the New School's first semester, less than half of its students achieved better than a 2.0 GPA. Proponents of a move to Huron believe the presence of additional authority figures and disciplinary personnel would help the New School concentrate on its educational mission.
Undoubtedly, the extra support services available at Huron represent a great aid for the six adults running the New School. However, the benefits of such services should not supersede the best interests of students' education. Moving the program to Huron - while preferable to elimination - would negate the idea of an alternative school.
The Stone School location, physically distant from Huron and Pioneer, gives its students a certain freedom from Ann Arbor's large high schools. Low student-to-teacher ratios also allow for more personalized attention. The structure of the school - currently four teachers instructing 82 students - is designed to build camaraderie and trust between students and teachers.
Furthermore, after nearly a year of existence, New School's students may feel pride and a sense of ownership in their program and the current building. Relocation to Huron - where the students would represent only a fraction of the population and might occupy space grudgingly ceded by established classrooms - could destroy that spark of pride.
The proposed move also presents logistical problems. Given Huron's large student population, there is speculation that New School classes might take place at odd hours. This scenario might lead to decreased extracurricular and social opportunities for New School students, further negating whatever advantage might come from proximity to Huron's facilities and services.
A move to Huron might help the New School's financial woes, but from a student's perspective, the prospect spells disaster - a return to the overwhelming atmosphere they elected to leave behind. The school board must take the students' best educational interests into account when making their budgetary decision.