The Issues

School Crowding

Parents of Dicken Elementary School students are worried about the possible impact that the proposed higher-density townhouse development would have on school crowding. At a time when our public schools have been stretched to their limit by increased social responsibilities, unfunded government mandates, aging infrastructure, and now severe budget crises, the possibility of packing even more children into an already crowded school building is a significant concern.

In addition, the Ann Arbor Public Schools themselves expressed concern to the City about this Crosswinds proposal. An October 18, 2002 memo from the Ann Arbor Planning Department to Crosswinds' engineering sub-contractor says:

• "An official from Ann Arbor Public Schools has contacted [city] staff regarding their concerns about significant student enrollment increases due to the proposed development. According to AAPS, even 10 new students in a building is a significant increase, and predicts that 50 three-bedroom units could bring in 25 new students or more."

The concerns of Dicken Elementary families were further confirmed in April 2003 when the Ann Arbor Schools announced the new options for schools of choice. This program allows students to transfer to another school within the district when space is available. Sixteen of Ann Arbor's 21 elementary schools have space available for such transfers. Dicken is not one of them.