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Parents and staff at Nethercutt Elementary urge clarity as district planning rumors circulate
Summary
Several Nethercutt Elementary staff, parents and after‑school coaches told the Flint School District board they want transparency about the school's future and described strong attendance and after‑school participation they say would be harmed by an unexpected closure or repurposing.
Mr. Betts, student success coordinator at Nethercutt Elementary School, told the Flint School District board that staff and families are seeing “contradicting information floating around throughout the district about the future of Nethercutt.” He asked the board to “address that a little bit” and provide more clarity for parents and staff.
Skyler Camp, a parent who said three of his children attend Flint schools, said Nethercutt’s after‑school program draws “about 160 students every morning” and that families have shown up to events. “We need you guys to remember all of our existing students and scholars and families in front of you,” Camp said. “The ones who stayed here and put into this district before all these fancy things.”
Cassandra Lambert, a part‑time success coach with the Flint Center for Educational Excellence who said she was formerly with Potter School, described sustained enrollment growth at Nethercutt and praised “all certified teachers” and expanded family events, including talent shows and Black History programs. “When you see positive growing and positive doing, you keep that moving,” she said.
Michelle Johnson, a success coach at Nethercutt, described individual student progress and pleaded that changing the school’s status could disrupt students who have improved in the current environment: “If you close Nethercutt and put him in a different environment, he may not adapt so well,” she said, referring to a student who had begun talking regularly after months of work by staff.
Why it matters: speakers said Nethercutt has increasing enrollment, a robust after‑school program and close parent‑teacher ties that they say risk being lost without a clear district plan. Several asked the board for a public update on whether the school will remain open, be repurposed, or renamed, and for a timeline so families and staff know what to expect.
The board did not make a decision during the meeting on Nethercutt’s status. Public commenters repeatedly asked for another date or meeting so district leadership could explain next steps to families and staff.
Speakers quoted above spoke during the public comment segment of the Committee of the Whole meeting. The board’s agenda included multiple other items that were discussed later in the session.
