PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Pontiac School District has approved a Strategic Work Plan that includes closing elementary schools and relocating students as part of a consolidation plan driven by falling attendance rates and rising operational costs.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Pontiac school district considers closing 3 elementary schools amid declining enrollment
According to the plan approved at a Monday morning meeting, Owen Elementary School and Kennedy School will close at the end of the current school year. Faculty and staff from Owen Elementary will be split between Alcott Elementary School and Pontiac Middle School. Students from Own Elementary will be relocated to Alcott Elementary. Kennedy School programming will be relocated to Pontiac High School.
All 5th-grade students from every elementary school will transition to Pontiac Middle School as the building moves to a 5-8 configuration.
The district also tabled a vote on a new contract with teachers, which brought this response from the Pontiac Education Association:
The Pontiac Education Association and the Pontiac School District finally came to a contract agreement after 300+ days...ALL the Pontiac School Board had to do tonight was vote yes (and they legally HAVE to vote yes bc it was their representative who negotiated with us).
And they sat there, wearing shirts saying, "We Support Our Teachers". And DIDNT vote on our contract. Let us be clear- this will DELAY teachers getting raises further than the 300+ days we have been waiting.
Who is to blame? Perhaps the district for not simply sending the contract to the board to read before the vote. Perhaps the board for not asking the district for the contract if this would mean they'd vote no and delay the contract.
But PER USUAL, it's our staff and students that lose out. The boots on the ground of this district.
They made SURE to vote to close 3 schools (Owen and Kennedy next year, Alcott year after that).
One more shameful spectacle- a cherry on top of a horrible year of lack of appreciation for the workers that make this district run.
Hope the district enjoys collecting a few more weeks of interest on the pile of money they have sitting in bank accounts that's meant for staff! And hope Superintendent Leverette continues enjoying her 12% raise she made sure to give herself BEFORE the year began.
And hope the board of education enjoys their $200 each tonight. Highest paid school board in the state strikes again! THANKS!
You can read our May 4 web story below:
The Pontiac School District is considering closing three elementary schools and relocating students as part of a consolidation plan driven by falling attendance rates and rising operational costs.
Educators, union leaders and parents pushed back at a Monday night board meeting, raising concerns about student stability and a lack of transparency — and the board ultimately tabled the discussion until next week.
Ebony Simms, a para-educator in the district who began her career nearly 30 years ago at Kennedy Center Elementary School, said the school is designed for children who need extra care.
"I am upset that they are thinking about moving those fragile children," Simms said.
Kennedy Center Elementary is among the schools being considered for closure, along with Owen Elementary and Alcott Elementary. Simms, whose grandson with special needs attends Alcott, said she worries the services currently offered there won't be available once he is moved.
"This is throwing off their routine totally by uprooting them out of what they know and love," Simms said.
Pontiac School District Superintendent Kimberly Leverette said K-12 attendance rates across the state continue to fall, directly impacting funding and driving up operational costs. She said many district schools are far below capacity.
"We are maintaining more space than we currently have students at a cost that is continuing to rise," Leverette said.
Leverette acknowledged the difficulty of the situation but said action is necessary.
"No one in this state wants to subscribe to the fact that we are failing children. Yes, we are," Leverette said. "There are difficult decisions to be made. We must move forward."
Candice Ridley, president of the Pontiac Education Association, said she understands the need for consolidation but takes issue with how the district is approaching it.
"I understand the need for consolidation. My issue is with the way they're going about it," Ridley said. "Students need stability. They need to know where they're going to be day-to-day and year-to-year."
She also raised concerns about the logistical burden on families with multiple children who could end up spread across several schools.
"I think it's very difficult when you start splitting kids up into different grades when you've got families with three, four, five kids and will have kids in three, four, five schools," Ridley said.
Ridley said the district already struggles with staff retention, and she believes closing schools could worsen that problem — particularly given ongoing contractual issues that have not been resolved since last year.
April 2026 video report: Pontiac educators rally at school board meeting as contract dispute nears 300 days
A teacher at Owen Elementary, who said she would be affected by the closures not once but twice, criticized the district for what she described as a lack of transparency and unwillingness to listen to educators and parents.
Board Trustee Tanisha Miller expressed support for consolidation but raised concerns about the pace of the proposal, asking whether teachers had been properly notified. Other trustees shared similar concerns, with the board ultimately agreeing that the community and staff need to be more involved in the process.
Next week, the board hopes to clarify the timeline for any decisions and determine how to better engage the community.
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