Dear Brownell Families,
As you may have heard, the district announced last week its plans to relocate scholars, teachers, and staff from Holmes STEM Academy to Southwestern Classical Academy for the 2023-24 academic year to accommodate extensive renovations at Holmes. With renovations scheduled to also take place at Brownell in the future, I am reaching out today with an update on the upcoming school year and our plans surrounding the critical infrastructural improvements that must be made at Brownell to ensure we are providing a safe, secure, and nurturing learning environment for our scholars.
Renovations at Brownell are currently scheduled to start in March 2024. Following comprehensive discussions with our principals and careful planning, we have made the strategic decision to relocate scholars, teachers, and staff from Brownell to a renovated section of Holmes at that time to complete the school year. This temporary move will allow for renovations to be carried out at Brownell, which includes: roof replacement, replacement of exterior doors and windows, secured entry, main office renovations, HVAC upgrades, fire protection improvements, electrical upgrades, alarm upgrades, new building PA system, lighting upgrades, ceiling replacement and painting of corridors and classrooms.
While renovations will still be taking place at Holmes in the spring, the Brownell classrooms will be located in a section of the school where learning will not be disturbed by the work being completed at that time. Renovations at Brownell are expected to be completed by August 1, 2024.
We understand that change can be challenging, and we wish to reassure you that the educational standard and level of care that our scholars currently enjoy at Brownell will be upheld. Our scholars' academic experience is our top priority, and this transition has been designed to ensure the quality of education and the degree of attention they receive are not compromised.
This transition draws on the successful temporary move that Doyle-Ryder Elementary made to Potter Elementary during the 2022-23 school year. The seamless continuity of high-quality instruction during that temporary move helped guide us with a clear roadmap for the current plan. We could not be happier with the results of the Doyle-Ryder Elementary renovations, and we look forward to a similar transformation at Brownell, as we firmly believe that this move is a necessary step in our unwavering commitment to academic excellence, essential support services and the creation of improved learning spaces.
We are excited to begin the school year at Brownell and to start these renovations in March 2024, enhancing our learning environments and furthering our commitment to our scholars. As plans are still being developed to facilitate the transition next March, we will provide you with updates throughout the process, as we are committed to keeping you informed. In the meantime, we appreciate and thank you in advance for your flexibility, understanding and shared commitment to our school community.
For those Brownell families who have sixth graders that were scheduled to move to Holmes for the upcoming school year, please be advised that your child will be attending Doyle-Ryder Elementary School for the entire school year. Doyle-Ryder will be hosting a sixth-grade orientation on July 31. Please contact that school for more information.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. We hope that you have an incredible summer and look forward to the first day of school on Wednesday, August 9.
Sincerely,
Kevelin Jones, Superintendent
Flint Community Schools