BOE pushes against school enrollment legislation

Jude O’Meara ’27, Associate Print Editor

February 24, 2026

CLOSED PROCESS: The board of education’s decision to skip an open interview process for the next superintendent leaves the community divided. Deputy Superintendent Roy Bishop was directly appointed.

On Feb. 23, the Grosse Pointe Board of Education (BOE) voted to pass a new resolution to formally oppose a series of new bills that would expand the Michigan Schools of Choice program throughout the state. If passed, House Bill 310 would allow Michigan students to attend public schools outside their residential school district without paying tuition. The bill passed in a unanimous 7-0 vote.

“The GPPSS Board of Education believes that decisions about accepting nonresident students are best made at the local level, with input from parents, staff and community members, rather than mandated uniformly across more than 800 diverse Michigan school districts,” the BOE wrote in the resolution.

In the further description of the resolution, the BOE “urges” three points for Michigan lawmakers to consider:

1. “Preserve local-control provisions in current law that allow elected boards to determine participation in Schools of Choice.”

The board’s first request focuses on continuing the system that allows local decision-making regarding involvement in the Schools of Choice program, which has been in place for GPPSS since the program was passed in 1996 and would end with the passing of Bill 5310.

2. “Commission a comprehensive impact analysis, with district-level modeling, before considering any legislation that would mandate open enrollment statewide.”

The board states their concern with the negative impact on unique districts such as Grosse Pointe, districts that are “fully built-out and land-locked,” as the resolution describes.

3. “Meaningfully consult with local boards of education, administrators and community stakeholders prior to advancing any further changes to Michigan’s enrollment statutes.”

The final request stresses the importance of district-to-district personalization when enforcing the bill, taking voices into account from across the state before moving on with the bill.

BOE Trustee Sean Cotton, among the many Grosse Pointe residents who traveled to the Michigan State Capitol to protest Bill 5310, spoke out against the legislation at the Feb. 4 committee hearing.

About the Contributors

Jude O’Meara ‘27, Associate Print Editor

From a young age, Jude O’Meara ’27 has always loved writing, a passion that led him to join the Tower staff. Inspired by his mother, a former journalist, O’Meara quickly rose through the ranks and is now in his second year on staff as an Associate Print Editor. “I’ve always liked writing since I was little,” O’Meara said. “My mom was a journalist for a long time, so she told me to take journalism.” O’Meara enjoys writing news stories, with a particular love for arts and entertainment. Outside of school, he is a year-round soccer midfielder who brings the same determination to his athletic pursuits. O’Meara also loves to make movies with friends, listen to music and watch a range of movies from comedy to sci-fi. “I don’t always come across as someone who’s into nerdier things, but I’ve seen tons of movies and I know a lot about them,” O’Meara said. O’Meara’s wide range of interests shows the same curiosity that fuels his work on the Tower, and he continues to look for ways to challenge himself both in and out of school. “When I first joined Tower last year, I really liked it and started writing extra stories every issue,” O’Meara said. “I want to climb up the ranks and stuff, and I could be the EIC one day.”

Peter Howlett ’27, Copy Editor

For his first year on Tower, Peter Howlett ‘27 is jumping right in. Influenced by his interest in physical media, he transitioned from broadcast journalism to the Tower newspaper and has found his place on staff as a copy editor. Howlett took to journalism with encouragement from his parents and also with the inspiration to educate his peers. “Spreading information to people, I think, is really important,” Howlett said. “It’s important to be a reliable source that gets it right; I see a lot of stuff that’s not entirely factual. I’d like to make a positive change. Be a real, trustworthy news source and be a part of one.” Outside of journalism, Howlett has invested his time following sports and the weather. He has carried a steady interest in meteorology and storm tracking throughout his life, but is happier to keep it as a hobby than a point of study in school later on. Howlett is also a big fan of the Detroit Tigers and serves as an announcer for South’s baseball team. But with many passions, Howlett is open to whatever comes next. “I’ll figure it out, and eventually something will come along that I want to do for the rest of my life, so we’ll figure it out,” Howlett said.

The Tower Pulse

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BOE pushes against school enrollment legislation

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