Press Release #41/March 10, 2023
Fielding International will present the findings from its study of long-term building needs in Dearborn Public Schools during a special meeting on March 21, 2023.
The report will be presented during a study session for the Board of Education starting at 5:30 p.m. that evening. The public is invited to attend the meeting, which will be held in the Administrative Service Center, 18700 Audette St., Dearborn. The meeting will also be shown live on the district’s cable and YouTube channels.
Fielding International has visited all the schools in the district. The company also surveyed parents and community members and met with hundreds of stakeholders to learn what they hope to see in the future of Dearborn Public Schools. That visioning input was combined with information about the infrastructure needs at each building – such as boiler upgrades and roof replacements – to quantify and prioritize long-term building needs in the district. Fielding’s work also looked at enrollment trends and projections in the district.
All of that information will be included in the 30-year facilities plan the company will present to the Board of Education. The information will also be posted on the district’s website the day after the meeting.
In March 2022, a citizen’s committee recommended the district pursue a bond referendum on the November 2022 ballot to fund needed infrastructure work in the district. Before going out for a bond, the Board of Education asked that a 30-year facilities plan be created to provide a better long-term picture of what building and educational needs are going to be in the coming decades.
Fielding International was hired in September to conduct that study.