Bloomfield Hills board OKs partnership with Oakland County Parks; parents demand staff protections for TreeSchool

The Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education voted 5–0 on March 23 to adopt a resolution authorizing a cooperative partnership with Oakland County Parks to operate Bowers Farm and the Johnson Nature Center, a decision administrators said is meant to preserve and expand both facilities while shifting operational responsibility to the county.

Superintendent West and Chris Ward, director of Oakland County Parks, told the board the agreement creates a transition period and requires a park action plan, operations/maintenance plan and capital improvement plan to be developed during that period. "Our hope is to take that magic and make it available to more people, more young people," Ward told the board, framing the partnership as a way to scale programs beyond current district capacity.

The public comment period that followed the staff presentation was dominated by parents and employees of the district’s TreeSchool program and by supporters of the farm and nature center. Matthew Rothschild, who identified himself as the husband of a TreeSchool co‑founder, urged the board to require specific safeguards for staff and listed dozens of employees he said would be affected. "These are not just positions on paper. They are educators, caregivers, and professionals who have built trusting relationships with children and families," Rothschild said.

TreeSchool cofounder and lead teacher Lee Roe told the board the draft agreement gives no enforceable hiring guarantee. "The clause stating that there is no obligation to hire BHS employees is not a small detail. It is a fundamental issue," Lee Roe said, asking trustees to delay or amend the agreement to require continuity of employment or comparable protections.

Superintendent West responded that the district and county intend to preserve TreeSchool "in its current form" during the transition and pledged a transition team to work with Oakland County Parks on staffing and program details. He also said board members will have the opportunity to review required transition documents before the agreement is finalized. Several trustees said the written commitments must be secured during the transition period; Trustee Abel said the board can terminate the agreement if the resulting park action plan does not protect program identity and staff continuity.

Board documents and remarks during the meeting describe a transition period that runs through at least June 30, 2026, and can be extended to September 2026; the parties must produce a preliminary park action plan by the end of that period. Trustees and staff repeatedly said the interlocal agreement preserves district ownership of the properties while transferring operations to the county. Several residents asked the board to add specific language guaranteeing interviews, retention or comparable pay and benefits for existing staff; the agreement’s current language requires county hiring to follow the county’s processes and does not compel rehiring of district employees.

After roughly an hour of trustee discussion and more than an hour of public comment, the board approved the resolution 5–0. Trustees said they expect to continue negotiations during the transition period and that the board retains the right to terminate the agreement if the written transition plans fail to protect the programs and staff that make the sites distinctive.

The vote was the most contentious item at a meeting that also included curriculum adoption and budget amendments; trustees approved a slate of consent items prior to the parks vote. The district said it will post further details and transition documents for public review as they are developed.