Ann Arbor school board votes 4-3 to advance New Thurston plan after hours of public comment

The Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education voted 4-3 on March 5 to move forward with the construction of the New Thurston Elementary School as currently designed, following an extended public-comment period in which hundreds of residents pressed the board to pause the project and consider staging or alternative sites.

Trustee Michael Baskett moved the motion to advance the Thurston project "as currently designed," and Trustee Schmidt supported the motion. After more than two hours of public testimony, extensive questioning of capital-project staff, and an unsuccessful bid to table the decision, the board approved the motion with a 4-3 roll call (Yes: Schmidt, Baskett, Wilks, Feaster; No: Wilkerson, Wilkins, Mohammed).

The public-comment period featured repeated pleas from Thurston parents, alumni, teachers and neighborhood residents to protect the Thurston Nature Center and nearby wetlands. "I live in the Thurston District, and I oppose the current plan," said Sarah Schreiber, identifying herself as a lifelong Ann Arbor resident and Thurston district neighbor. Many speakers urged the board to "stage Thurston" — that is, temporarily relocate students to another building while the current site is rebuilt — citing safety, stormwater and environmental concerns.

Supporters of the current plan argued staging would be costly, split the community and delay a necessary replacement building. "After the presentation last night, I feel confident that the current plan to build Thurston is the correct way forward rather than risk millions of dollars and years of delay for a marginal improvement," said Jason Bonilla, who identified himself as a Thurston parent and neighbor.

Board discussion focused on three technical areas raised by the community and consultants: geotechnical concerns about compressible or flood-prone soils and engineered mitigations such as rammed aggregate piers; stormwater and watershed management for Thurston Pond and Millers Creek; and traffic impacts related to staging options and nearby Nixon Road roundabout coordination with city engineering. Capital-project staff said soil mitigation strategies are common and built into budgets, and that the design team tested soils at the projected building footprint.

Trustees also debated staging permutations. Several trustees and community members pressed for a full staging solution; others warned splitting the school community (for example, relocating pre-K and 'young five' students while keeping other grades on a different site) would itself be disruptive. Trustee Wilkerson noted in the finance committee that a bond-issuance timeline could be affected if changes were required before a March bond selection date, a constraint trustees discussed while weighing additional review time.

Trustee Mohammed moved to table the motion to allow further review ahead of the board’s next regular meeting; that tabling motion failed on a roll call. The board then voted on Trustee Baskett’s original motion to proceed as designed; it carried 4-3.

What happens next: With the vote, the district will proceed with the Thurston project under the approved design and the existing capital-project timeline; staff said technical and permitting steps remain and that construction sequencing will follow established bond-program procedures. The board did not adopt any additional conditions or amendments at the March 5 vote.

The transcript of public comments and staff answers is available in board materials; the board noted written comments are posted online.