We are a group of Thurston parents, school staff, and neighbors who are opposed to the current construction plans for a new Thurston Elementary as they build upon green spaces for play and nature. The plans include building upon portions of the Thurston Nature Center, an environmental education center.We are in favor of a new school building, but believe that the current construction plans are poorly conceived and not reflective of the unique considerations and features of the Thurston site, its natural environment and community.
How we got here...
In 2019, the voters of Ann Arbor generously approved a record-setting $1 Billion Bond to help upgrade Ann Arbor Public Schools buildings. Thurston Elementary was selected to receive a brand new school building because its 1960's construction hasn't aged well and the school population has outgrown the building.
The case for building a new building for Thurston is clear and compelling.
What's not clear or compelling is the plan for actually getting the work done.
There has been a general lack of transparency, community involvement, and objective oversight when it comes to how the Bond has been managed. This has raised some serious concerns among community members and parents at the affected schools as AAPS and their partners have started to socialize their plans.
For Thurston, the current plan involves constructing the new school directly behind the existing building, which means:
Parents, neighbors, school staff and community members have all spoken out to ask questions and raise concerns about not only the current plan, but also the way in which that plan was developed. These concerns have been met with resistance and silence from our elected officials.
We are demanding that AAPS:
Submit a public comment to be read at an upcoming BOE or Bond Committee meeting. Comments are due 4 hours prior to the start of each meeting.
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