Mack Parents, Staff Win--No Pupil Shifts

Mack School parents and staff wno last week firmly opposed Supt. R. Bruce McPherson's proposal to relocate Mack students next year while the new building is being constructed won a victory last night. The administration announced that a procedure for the construction of the new Mack Elementary School had been worked out so the 'children will not have to be relocated. But the Mack parents and staff also were told that costs for the new building will be increased by an estimated $150, 000 because of the children remaining on the site during the new construction. The administration said the architect has found ways to increase the design's efficiency to reduce some costs. But if this does not cover the entire $150,000, some planned items for the school may have to be deleted. The announcement was made during a meeting at the school. Mack Principal Harold Fillyaw said the decisión was 7 c' tzv'vifiu "quite well received. I think everyone is happy" about the children not being relocated. The exact changes in phasing of construction so that relocation will not be necessary were not announced, but bids for the new building are expected to be let by about June 1. McPherson said the original idea of relocation (to four other elemenfary schools for all or part of the 1972-73 school year) was "proposed for two reasons. We were concerned for the saíety of the children during construction and we sought to avoid the cost penalty involved in building with the children remaining on the site.'' He added that the "resultant cost savings, applied to the new school, would have enhanced the facility's ability to serve future generations of Mack students. And we feit that was important. At the same time, however, it has been - made very clear to us that the community places great valué on the stability of keeping the community and the school I together during the period of I tion. Our present plan for construction I accommodates that community I ty." (Al a meeting of the Mack community I last week, a Mack parent ofíered a I unanimously accepted resolution, I ing: "We will not be relocated out of I Mack School.") McPherson said the architect "has 1 covered ways of increasing the design's I efficiency by modifying the shapes of I parts of the building without reducing I the program, thereby reducing costs." But the superintendent warned that I there are a number of uncertainties I volved in the "compromise." "Our estimates of construction may or I may not hold, depending on the method I in which bids are let and on how those I bids come in from contractors. Our I mates of the cost increase incurred by I not relocating have been questioned. I There are a number of other unknowns, I incuding final cost of land acquisition and the possibility of supplemental funding f rom other than Board of Educaüon sources." A new detailed estímate is currently being made to determine the exact costs of the project. "When the revised plan has been estimated, a series of items can be identified as add-on alternates in the construction contract," McPherson said. "These could include air conditioning, new skylights, the extent of renovation in community spaces, and the like. These will be worked out by the architect and building committee. When bids are submitted and all other uncertainties have been resolved, we may find that we are I able to build everything. Or we may have to delete some items. If our present I penalty estímate for relocation is J rate, the deletion of design items will I have been heavily influenced by ourl decisión not to relocate children." I Isince we have a daughter in Scarlett who wffl be attending Huron next year for the nmth grade according to the i JUpt R' Bruce McPherson's new plan We would like to know if the school board is planning to bus the children from his area to either of the schools. . We have a son in Hurón and he wastes tL?n}SJ vïy n tte city We think that if McPherson is going to change the I schods as he has; that busing plans I should be made. We refuse to pay for I busmg so please do something for this I I Robert TtoËF (Mn aDd MrsI. ANSWER: According to school offiK ,th,ere 1S no change proposed in the lresent busing policy for the schools The ivgeneral guidelines are as follows: safety Rusing ls provided only for elementary bchool children; busing is provided by fethe schools if a student who is in one i&cbool boundary area is required by the bchoo Is to go to another school outside lus attendance area; and the third busing provisión is for students who live outside the Ann Arbor city limits and IZZlZll d one"half miles All of these guidelines foUow the state %UÏZS esctaslVed for bing in school distncts. Safety busing is the practice of busmg students to school to avoid haz ards encountered when walking despite the fact they don't cmalifv h, mJ"