School Official Gives 'White Flight' Warning
EASTPOINTE (AP) - A school board member warned that his district's participation in a Schools of Choice program could lead to "white flight" from his Detroit-area community.
The East Detroit Board of Education voted 5-2 Monday night to open the district to neighboring Wayne County schools, including Detroit and Harper Woods.
One of two board members who voted against the proposal - Jon Gruenberg - warned that the Eastpointe-based district could suffer population loss as a result.
"Schools of Choice, I think, does absolutely nobody any good," he said. "We have seen the second wave of white flight because of these districts of choice."
Eastpointe borders Detroit and Warren. Several schools on Detroit's east side are scheduled to close at the end of the year, and many of those students could head north, MLive.com reported.
East Detroit school officials long had opposed the Schools of Choice concept, but say the district needs to participate in order to survive financially.
"Whether we like Schools of Choice or not, we have to level the playing field so that we can compete with other school districts that already are doing the same thing," said board President Craig Wodecki.
The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reported that East Detroit Superintendent Joanne Lelekatch had urged the school board to open the district's programs to students in Harper Woods and Detroit despite concern over potential behavior and academic obstacles.
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