Decision day is just one week away, as voters in the Ann Arbor and Whitmore Lake Public Schools Districts will consider the annexation proposal. A pair of open houses are designed to answer some cultural concerns raised by some in Ann Arbor.
Critics of the annexation proposal site Whitmore Lake's rejection of millage votes and lack of diversity as signs of a cultural divide with Ann Arbor.
High School Principal Tom DeKeyser thinks it's created a perception that his district is a poor, repressed area. He hopes voters from Ann Arbor can get a more accurate read on the community by meeting with students and staff."Mostly what I was hoping they would do is interact, like I said, with our students, and just ask some of the questions about culture. What is our culture, and what things are we all about here," DeKeyser.
As for the facilities, DeKeyser says he frequently hears the high school is bigger than people expect. It's still small enough that it's the top reason people choose to send their kids to Whitmore Lake Schools.
The open house starts Wednesday at 2 PM at the high school and 3 PM at the elementary school.
Ann Arbor Public Schools have added a community forum on the proposal Wednesday at Skyline High School at 6:30 PM.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter— Andrew Cluley is the Ann Arbor beat reporter, and anchor for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at734.487.3363 or email him acluley@emich.edu.
