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Mary A. White | FAQ

Community Frequently Asked Questions

Mary A. White Elementary Transition Plan

New questions and responses will continue to be added and updated periodically and marked with the date of change.

Last revision: 4.25.25

Further questions can be submitted here or emailed to info@ghaps.org.

Updates | April 25, 2025

Transportation

Open Door (Before and After School Care)

Enrollment & School of Choice

Building Capacity & Class Sizes

Staffing

Special Education

District Finances & Community Engagement

Archived Questions

Updates | April 25, 2025

As more questions are added, the new questions listed will be added to the appropriate sections throughout this document.

Were Mary A. White families able to receive their School of Choice preferences?

We are pleased to share that all Mary A. White School of Choice requests have been accepted for next school year. Those who completed the School of Choice process should have received a confirmation email and update from their new school. If you are uncertain about your student’s school enrollment status for next year, please contact the school office:

What are the plans for transportation needs and traffic flow with families changing schools next year?

Our transportation department has been working on plans for anticipated route needs next school year, and is looking at traffic flow options for pick-up and drop-off procedures as well. Given the changing needs for next school year, they are working on getting the annual transportation form process started early this year - expect more information soon! The department is also planning for a Rosy Mound bus stop at the Mary A. White location next school year and will share more details as they become available.

What are the plans for Kindergarten & Young Fives screenings?

Kindergarten and Young Fives screenings have been scheduled for Tuesday, June 17, and Wednesday, June 18. More information, including the times and further details, will be shared with families next week.

Will special special education staffing continue to match the student needs at each building?

Our Special Education team has been working directly with the Facilities and Human Services departments to ensure our space and staffing are matched up with student needs in each building. If you have questions about your child’s Special Education services, please contact Cassady Krumm, Executive Director of Special Education, at krummc@ghaps.org.

Will the hours of the new early learning center be adjusted so parents who need to drop off at two locations are able to do so? 

Our Transportation and Instructional Services departments are working on a plan to ensure that families and school buses are able to drop students off at the early learning center with enough time to make it to our other schools for drop-off as well.

Have all Mary A. White been placed for next school year? 

All Mary A. White teachers have been placed in their new GHAPS schools for next year. Some of the placements for our support staff are still in the works and are being determined based on building needs. Staffing for next year has been a top priority through this process, and we remain committed to ensuring all Mary A. White staff have opportunities for GHAPS employment next year.

When will Mary A. White students be able to visit their new schools?

Student visits to their new schools have been scheduled for the morning of Thursday, May 29. While the visits may look slightly different depending on the number of students attending each school, our elementary principals are coordinating efforts to ensure every student has the opportunity to visit other students from their current grade level, meet the principal and teachers from the grades they will be in next year, tour the building, and get time to play outside (weather permitting).

When will Mary A. White families be able to visit their new schools?

Family Open Houses have been scheduled for the evening of Thursday, May 29, from 5:30-6:30 PM at Peach Plains, Robinson, and Rosy Mound. Families and students will be able to tour the school, meet the principal, ask questions, and learn more about the school after students visit during the school day. District administrators will be available at each building to help answer questions as well. Given the lower number of MAW families attending Griffin, Lake Hills, and Ferry-Voyager next year, the principals from those schools will reach out to families individually to schedule visits.

What celebrations will take place for Mary A. White students and staff before the end of the school year?

After collecting and reviewing the MAW Celebrations Survey, the Mary A. White PTO met recently to discuss student and staff celebrations to help make the end of their last year in Mary A. White extra special.  On top of the annual celebrations, plans are in the works to expand the end-of-year fourth-grade walk-out to include all grades, a school-wide end-of-school bash, and some special Mary A. White gear. We will continue to share more details as plans are finalized. Thank you to the MAW PTO for organizing the celebrations and to everyone who submitted ideas! We will also be putting together staff celebrations to share on social media, and seeking old photos and memories to share–stay tuned for more information.

Will the community have a chance to visit the building before it is converted to an early learning center?

We recognize that Mary A. White Elementary and its staff have had a profound impact on many students, families, and other community members over the years and that there are many memories attached to the school. So, we are planning to host a community open house at the building to allow anyone in the community to visit the school, share memories, and celebrate the school’s history. The date and details have not yet been finalized, and we would love support from the MAW community.

The Senior Graduation Walkout at each elementary is a great tradition. How will this work for future classes of former Mary A. White students?

At the end of each school year, graduating GHAPS seniors visit their previous elementary schools and walk the halls one last time before crossing the stage and receiving their diplomas. This year, GHAPS seniors will be walking the halls of Mary A. White on Wednesday, May 21, during the school day. We have received several questions about what this may look like for future graduating classes, and we have started to explore how this could happen.  We will provide updates when they are available.

Transportation

Will Mary A. White families have busing available when attending their new school?

All families who live within the boundaries of their new school and are in a program that provides busing will have busing. If they attend a school of choice, the parents will transport them.

Will busing be available for the early learning center? If so, for what ages/programs?

The district will continue providing transportation for Young Fives and ECSE students and is exploring options to expand transportation to include our Preschool Development Program and Great Start Readiness Program students as well.

Will Joyful Noise still be allowed to be a bus stop for students going to Rosy Mound?

We will continue to partner with Joyful Noise and provide transportation to Rosy Mound in the future.

Open Door (Before and After School Care)

Where will before and after school care be offered? What about snow days and breaks?

Open Door is scheduled to take place at Robinson, Lake Hills, and the Early Childhood Center for next year. Snow days and breaks will be hosted at these same locations.

Enrollment & School of Choice

When is the School of Choice deadline?

Families have until Thursday, May 15, to complete the in-district School of Choice process.

Will families still be able to choose between Young Fives and kindergarten?

All families enrolling students in Young Fives or Kindergarten will be scheduled for our annual kindergarten screenings in June. At the completion of the screening, parents will have the opportunity to finalize or change their grade level selection based on recommendations from our early learning staff. More information about the June Kindergarten screenings will be shared in the coming weeks.

How can I go about school of choice? And will there be any consideration or preferences for students and their friends?

Please visit the GHAPS enrollment page on our website and start the school of choice process by completing the application form. The District prioritized departing Mary A. White student school of choice requests, which have all been fulfilled. School of Choice documents can be found on the GHAPS website.

What about the students who were school of choice but out of district?

External school choice families will continue to be welcomed as students and received the same school of choice priority as other Mary A. White students when completing the process.

What happens to the students who are school of choice at Rosy and Peach?

Students currently choosing other schools in the district, including Rosy Mound and Peach Plains, will remain with their current schools unless their families decide otherwise.

When will open enrollment begin for the nature-based programs?

Enrollment for all preschool programs is open now.  

Go to: https://www.ghaps.org/our-district/departments/child-services/preschool/

Building Capacity & Class Sizes

How many students do you project will be joining each of the three elementary schools?

We are pleased to share that all Mary A. White School of Choice requests have been accepted for next school year. Based on these requests, the following enrollment changes are anticipated next year:

What is going to be the impact on class sizes and student-teacher ratio?

GHAPS will continue to use our target caps in all elementary classrooms, as outlined in our collective bargaining agreement. The existing target caps will not change due to this plan.  For reference, the target caps are as follows:

Will there be additional sections for each grade level added to accommodate the new students?

Yes, GHAPS has been working with building principals to identify grade levels in which sections need to be added based on new students and the target caps.

Staffing

Will any staff members lose their jobs?

No. Staff reductions will be achieved through attrition alone.

How will the current Mary A. White staff be integrated into the other buildings?

Mary A. White teachers were given the opportunity to complete a preference form so that GHAPS can attempt to match them with the most desired outcome.

Special Education

How will special education services be impacted?

Special Education locations and caseloads would shift for some programs but services stated in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) would remain the same.

Where will the Intensive Resource Room programming be & will additional social work supports be provided to that building?

The Mary A. White IRR program will be moving to Rosy Mound Elementary. The remaining students at Mary A. White—including those receiving Resource Room support and other special education services—will transition to Robinson, Peach, and Rosy.  Mary A. White will become an Early Childhood Center, housing ECSE, ASD preschool, and Young Fives programs.

Is one of the ASD program rooms going to be moved or added for all Young 5s students to ensure inclusion opportunities are still available?

The ASD Y5 classroom and ASD preschool will be at the Early Learning Center, along with the other Y5 and preschool classrooms.

What support and staffing will be available for students needing resource services at the new early learning center?

We want to ensure every student has the support they need. Early Childhood Special Education services and staffing will look nearly identical to the current model.

What about students in Griffin’s Young Fives Cognitive Impairment class?

The tentative plan is for Young 5’s CI students to remain in the program at Griffin Elementary School.  They will have two years of inclusion time with kindergarten peers.

District Finances & Community Engagement

Where can further information about the district’s current financial information be found?

The GHAPS School Board’s Finance and Operations Committee met on Tuesday, March 4 to learn more about next year’s budget from Michael MacDonald, our district’s Executive Director of Business Services. The meeting minutes, presentation, and an audio recording of the meeting are available on our Board Committee Meetings page.

What community input was considered? And what other opportunities will exist for input and engagement?

While the plan is being proposed in response to enrollment numbers that have continued to decline over the past ten years and are anticipated to continue over the next five, the details of the plan have been shaped by ongoing community engagement and input opportunities throughout this school year. Facing a significant budget deficit next school year, the proposed plan seeks to ensure we can continue to operate efficiently while maintaining high-quality educational opportunities for all students and meeting multiple community needs.

Opportunities for engagement and input have included the forming of the Capital Project Committee (July), Internal (August) and External Stakeholder Vision Sessions on the future of GHAPS (September), Coffee & Connect Sessions (fall 2024), annual parent perception survey, meetings with representatives from all PTO/PTA and booster boards, community presentations, and meetings with business and community leaders (ongoing since July).

Dates, times, and locations for Superintendent Perkowski’s next engagement tour, Scoops with the Supt., will be announced soon.

Archived Questions

How does enrollment work prior to the March 10 School Board meeting when the board will vote on this plan?

If anything changes based on the School Board’s vote during the March 10 meeting, the district will be able to make any changes that may be needed within the online enrollment system and will communicate them to families as soon as possible.

What is the most recent update regarding the plans for Mary A. White Elementary?

We are recommending this proposed plan be added as an agenda item for discussion and a vote during the March 10 Board of Education meeting. Doing so will allow our school board to listen to further community feedback and make a decision that prioritizes what is best for our district, all of our students, and our community.

As a next step, the Finance and Operations Board Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 4 will be held at 4:30 PM in the Education Service Center at 1415 Beechtree St. This meeting will include a presentation that provides a wider view of our district’s current financial reality, key factors impacting that reality, and some of the other cost-saving measures that are being explored in addition to this plan. There will be time for public comment at the start of the meeting. Those wishing to provide comments will have up to three minutes to speak. As is the case with all Board Committee meetings, the board does not take action on comments or questions made during public comment. Rather, the board will make note of all public comments and questions, and commenters will receive a response from the district.

The March 10 School Board meeting will be held at Lakeshore Middle School beginning at 7:30 PM. This meeting will follow the same public comment protocol used at Board Committee meetings, as outlined above.

How will enrollment for next year work for Mary A. White families? What actions will they need to take?

Departing Mary A. White students would need to enroll in their newly designated school, based on their residence. The district residency map has been updated with proposed changes.

Can Mary A. White families select the school they would like to attend next year?

Departing Mary A White families may utilize the internal school of choice process if they wish for their child to attend a GHAPS school other than their newly designated school.