Pontiac Reimagined

With this project, our goal is to ensure that everyone is being heard and that we are addressing the concerns of our students, staff, parents and the community. Below you will find questions submitted the PSD community that may give you more insight regarding our Pontiac Reimagined plan. If you have a question that we may not have answered, we encouraged you to submit your question to communications@pontiacschools.org.

You can take a look at our current phase 1 presentation here.

Also click on the title below (Pontiac Reimaged Q & A) to view the questions and answers submitted.

Pontiac Reimagined Q & A

Pontiac Reimagined Q & A

Pontiac Reimagined Phase 1 Proposal Questions

Will ITA continue to be K-12 with all grades solely attending the WHRC building?
Yes, if Phase 1 is approved ITA will remain at WHRC and will become a K-12 school rather than a program.

Will ILA still be a program?

Although the ILA program will no longer be a standalone program, the many great principles taught at ILA will remain. We look forward to expanding our ability to offer bilingual education opportunities across the district.

Will ITA have its own sports teams, homecoming, prom, etc.?

We are still exploring the various possibilities of what that will look like and look to our community and student body for their input and insights as well as what requirements may exist.

What will happen to the robotics team?
Wings of Fire will continue to soar and is ready for another great year! They are gearing up and recruiting for additional members and sponsors for next season after an outstanding 2024-2025.

Will the pre-school kids be with the big kids?
PEACE Academy’s location in the building will be primarily isolated from the older students. They have their own playground, and all their activities take place primarily in their wing of the building.

Are we banding grades at other schools?
We are continuing to research best practices and explore long-term opportunities for the district for best learning opportunities for our students for future phases of evolution for the district beyond Phase 1.

Is this why people are being laid off?
No, the changes being made in Phase 1 are due to several factors as we evolve our district. There are several financial factors impacting the district and many changes are being made; to help minimize the loss of jobs but additionally we are making changes to improve our school environments to provide improved settings for our students and staff and long-term growth for the district.

Are we becoming charter schools?
No.

How can we improve the relationship between the school system employees and parents? There is a history of toxicity between these two important entities that we need to improve. How do we stop that instead of continuing to fester that perception that the two are not on the same team in helping our students?

The relationship between the parents and staff in any district is vital to the success of the district and students. We are continually striving to improve our relationship between our staff and parents and looking for ways we can better communicate with one another. We have invested and will continue to invest in ways to do that from Listening Circles, to events, to parent groups, to solutions. We just launched a new regular community event with Dr. Leverette for Coffee and Conversation which will hopefully garner some ideas to build better ways to expand that dialogue even more.

Are there schools near us that we can visit to see how PBL works? I am specifically curious about whether students will have 8 different projects (we currently have 8 hours) going on at one time or will all disciplines come together to create one project?

Yes, there are several schools in Michigan that we can visit. Some examples include Meridian Early College High School, Northview, and West Michigan Project Based Learning Network.

As you know it is important for us to go slow to go fast and get the best outcomes for students. We want to roll this out in a way that is effective for students and staff alike. We envision a systems approach to PBL where the entire school could potentially work on a project, a grade band or subject area. You will not need to think about prep for 8 different subjects.

Will teachers receive training for project-based learning and how to grade projects, since projects can be so subjective? Many projects can be graded on effort and collaboration, which could lead to potential unfair grading. If so, how much will it cost to train the teachers? This sounds quite costly, considering the community is receiving information from the board that we are so short on funds that we have to close buildings, potentially lay off teachers, and potentially increase our class sizes.

The training for PBL is over 48 hours and would need to happen over a two-year time span for ITA-ILA staff alone to be fully trained!

We do have some staff in the district that have past experience working in PBL and that have been trained in the past through Oakland Schools. Our goal would be to use a train the trainer model so that cost effective measures are in place to ensure the feasibility and sustainability of PBL as an integral part of teaching and learning.

Will teachers and students get a new curriculum since our current curriculum is not designed for PBL? This sounds quite costly, considering we are receiving many reports that our budget is so tight that we must combine schools, potentially layoff staff, and potentially increase our class sizes.

There will be no new curriculum adoption, rather creative approaches to teaching and adapting existing curriculum, where PBL can be infused in ways that are not costly

In the video, there were a lot of "facts" that were not substantiated by evidence. Can the community be provided with legitimate American evidence that this is a better way for learning? The narrator spoke with an English accent, which makes me wonder if PBL is prominent in England and, if so, how does their education system fare compared to America's?

What does the research say? https://instructionalmoves.gse.harvard.edu/project-based-learning

In the video, there were examples with a lot of supplemental materials, like marshmallows, popsicle sticks, cardboard, etc., etc., etc.. Who will pay for this, and can we be guaranteed that if we make a move to PBL that teachers will always have access to those resources so that we don't have to pay for them ourselves or not complete the projects because we do not have the funds for the materials? In a district where the community is receiving information that our budget is very strained right now, how can we feel secure knowing that we will always have access to funds to purchase supplemental materials?

Yes, resources will be available to support projects. One strategy to help with this will be backwards planning which allows you to develop plans with the end in mind and a scope and sequence of lessons that are for an entire year potentially will help with this. We will work to ensure all resources are available and will be contientious of projects as we roll them out together for effectiveness and ability of execution for all involved.

How does PBL address student behavior issues, specifically students who do not work well with others or struggle with group dynamics?

Why does PBL work for students? https://www.pblworks.org/why-project-based-learning As we all know the very essence of student engagement and love of learning in how those experiences are fostered and nurtured at home and school by thoughtful and thought-provoking discovery. These experiences help to shape how students show up in the world and PBL fosters that love and learning and discovery for students. Also, “Classroom Management That Works” and Harry Wong’s, “The First Days of Schools” are research based and prove to be successful when implemented with fidelity.

PBL can be a lengthy process requiring time management and attendance in the classroom. Attendance is the number one reason our schools are not successful. How will projects get completed if students are frequently absent from school? Will they just get extra time? Will they receive lower grades? This sounds like a recipe for failure with our current attendance issues. I think many people will say that students will start to come to school if they are excited about their subjects and doing projects, but is that really true? If so, how do you know? Have you asked students who are frequently absent if they would come more often if we switched to PBL? In addition, we've been told in meetings that our students don't come to school regularly because they have other duties at home, don't have clean clothes, their hair is not done, etc., etc., etc.. Will those problems magically disappear if we switch to PBL?

Moving forward our goal is to continue to focus on setting students up for success. Again, we must move slowly to move fast and achieve this for the long-term. WE will continue to meet students where they are at and provide learning supports that celebrate the whole child. Our MTSS system is comprehensive, as well as the resources and staff that are in place to assist students with overcoming barriers to equitable outcomes. We are equipped to meet their basic needs, so kids come to school prepared to engage in high level instruction by our highly qualified staff.

PBL can require more time than our current curriculum requires for planning and grading. How will time issues be addressed so that teachers are not overwhelmed and overworked?

We have to view PBL not as an add on, but an enhancement to the teaching and learning already identified in the curriculum and align time and planning accordingly for the best learning outcomes for students. As we continue to explore this option and learn from what is working in other schools we will be able to share insights on how this will best work for our district. As we pilot this in ITA we will gain valuable knowledge to ensure we are moving in the right direction for our students’ success.

Is PBL best with a traditional schedule or block schedule? Many teachers are already struggling to see their students consistently due to block scheduling, and with the attendance issues that we have, how will this work with PBL?

We understand that the pace at which PBL will be approached will also need to be differentiated based on staff expertise and readiness to take on this approach, we will go slow to go fast. We will take each stage of this with care to make sure we are understanding the and incorporating the talents and needs of our staff and students for long-term success. PBL provides a great deal of opportunity for collaboration and cohesive work between staff which can also help alleviate many stressors teachers face daily.

Where will we store the supplies for the projects?

We will work to identify storage for your supplies that provides adequate room, organization and easy access for staff throughout the building. As we roll this out, we will adapt the spaces to make sure proper storage and room for collaboration is available.

Where will the projects be stored when they are completed? Do we have space for this?

When projects are complete, they should ideally be displayed for a period of time and sent home with students, when appropriate. This is something we will work with building staff to determine as we get further down the road to determine the best plan.

I've received so many novels from grants and from the curriculum, but we didn't receive enough bookshelves to house the novels, so many of them are sitting unused in boxes or lined up on the floor. Can we ensure teachers that they will not only receive supplies but also have the space to store materials and display finished products?

Yes, all teachers should have appropriate storage for the needs for their classrooms. If you do not have enough storage or proper shelving in your room, please contact your principal to put in a work order to have the right furniture brought to your room for storage.

Are our classrooms designed for PBL?

Every classroom is different, but all classrooms can be adapted and scaled to the needs of a PBL environment. We will adjust and assess as we begin to pilot the PBL model into our district through ITA. As we’ve said, we are going slow to move fast. This will be a pilot scenario, it will not be perfect out of the gate, but it is an exciting opportunity and time for us to learn and incorporate this proven education model into our district. We look forward to what lies ahead!

Will PEACE have the same school schedule as ITA?

At this time it is not possible to move PEACE to the same bell schedule as ITA due to transportation requirements.

Will PEACE have the same calendar year as ITA?

Yes, PEACE will now be on the same calendar as PSD K-12 schools.

What changes are being planned for ITA? We as parents will need to know in advance?

At this time, ITA will remain at WHRC but will now become a school and have its own school code. We will begin to pilot project-based learning as the ITA program was originally intended. No major changes will impact ITA students and families at this time. Any changes or updates to ITA that arise will be shared with parents as soon as possible.

Right now there are two kindergarten classes slated for the 25-26 school year, moving forward does that mean that there will only be 2 first glade classes in the 26-27 school year and so on from year to year?

The number of classes in each grade will be determined based on enrollment numbers. We cannot fully predict how many classes will be needed each year in each grade, however it is our goal to have a consistent and balanced number of classrooms at each grade level each year.

Just to clarify, the two kindergarten teachers being displaced are the ones with the lowest seniority, correct?

The Pontiac School District does not comment on employment matters publicly

When will we find out our new classroom placement, so we can plan?

We are on track to have those details in place by the end of May for staff.

When do Kelley Williams and Dr. Weatherspoon’s contracts end?

Their contracts conclude on June 30^th, 2025.

What’s going on with Special Education? Where will ASD be located and what resources will they have? Will they have ABA, occupational, speech, anything?

Two classes will be moving to Rogers and two will be moving to Alcott. The students will continue to receive all of the services they currently receive in their new locations.