From the desk of Gary W. Meier, Superintendent

The Ferndale Public Schools are facing a bright future.

Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Oak Park, and the Charter Township of Royal Oak share a long history of support from our community members who take great pride in our schools. I am proud to share how we plan to continue serving our students through these outstanding success stories. Our goal is to continue earning the dedication and commitment of school families, staff, and residents in our school community, such as your tremendous support of our 2004 bond projects.

In 2002, when our district underwent a comprehensive restructuring, our goals were to provide equitable, steadily improving student achievement and long-term financial stability. For the past five years, our goals have remained at the forefront of every curricular, staffing, funding, and programming decision.

Ensuring All Students Succeed: I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work and dedication of our teachers and support staff to ensure every student in the district succeeds. Our rising scores on standardized tests, state and national recognition of Roosevelt’s Brain Smart Start, and three-time state championships for our marching band and winter guard are all evidence our goals of achieving excellence are succeeding.

Ensuring Long-Term Financial Stability: To support these academic and extracurricular programs that have long made the Ferndale Schools a special district, we have implemented many targeted changes in the past several years. Not the least of these were budget reductions totalling $7.5-million, nearly 17% of our district budget. These reductions were made possible through staffing adjustments and new initiatives to increase enrollment, such as the partnership with Lawrence Technological University to launch University High School. This kind of diversification has made it possible to continue providing full services throughout the district.

Despite inadequate state funding, and even funding reductions in two of the last five years, the Ferndale Schools have taken significant steps to provide long-term financial stability. Even though state funding is uncertain at the beginning of the school year, we are confident our improved efficiency and trimming of financial expenses will ensure our students a strong, comprehensive school experience. In addition, we continuously study our facilities management, support staffing, and instructional leadership to improve services and further reduce expenses. As one of our principals put it so well, “There are no random acts” in the Ferndale Schools.

I look forward to continuing to work with members throughout our school community to provide our students with the best, full-service, small public school district possible.

Superintendent, Ferndale Schools
Ferndale Public Schools
Harding Administration Center
2920 Burdette
Ferndale MI 48220