City of Mason and Mason Public Schools City Hall Partnership

Community: City of Mason
Population: 2,500-9,999

The City of Mason and Mason Public Schools have demonstrated true regional cooperation by entering into a unique partnership to share resources and office space. In a model unique throughout mid-Michigan, MPS has recently moved its administrative staff into offices within Mason City Hall. Mason City Hall, which was rebuilt in 2009, is a modern, energy efficient building located within Mason’s charming downtown. This partnership allows both organizations to share resources including conference rooms, parking, and utilities. Additionally, after Mason Public Schools successfully passed a $69.7 million bond issue the year prior, it was apparent that moving administrative offices from the Harvey Education Center building would allow for better utilization of the building for additional education and green space and decrease the building’s overall footprint. Collaborating with joint office space demonstrates a commitment from both parties to utilize taxpayer dollars efficiently and move the Mason community forward.


Replicability:

The partnership between the City of Mason and Mason Public Schools would be easy to replicate in any community which has a strong collaborative mentality. Both parties should prepare to be patient with the process and have an open mindset. When gathering community support for a project like this, it is important to think about the end goal but ask for community feedback in the process by which the goal could be achieved. If the community supports a partnership like this, the community will continue to maintain trust in both organizations as well as potentially support additional innovative partnerships in the future.

Creativity and Originality:

As far as we know, this partnership is unique to the mid-Michigan area. As the city was assessing space within the modern and energy-efficient City Hall, it was clear that there was unused space and there should be a creative solution for this problem. At the same time, the school district was working on developing plans for the Harvey Education Center (HEC) building after a bond issue was approved by voters. The district’s administrative offices were located in the middle of a building intended to be used for early learning, which was not ideal. The city proposed a creative solution of having the district’s administrative staff move into the unused space within City Hall and away from the HEC and let that space be renovated for educational use only. This was definitely an unexpected proposal. The simplest option for the district would be to continue to house administrative offices in the HEC and expand the footprint to accommodate staff. But instead, by exploring this proposal with the city, it would allow for cost savings all around and continued partnerships, which is a win-win for the Mason community.

Community Impact:

This partnership has continued to improve the Mason community by eliminating barriers to access to city and district representatives and services. When residents visit City Hall, they now can visit both organizations at once. This partnership has strengthened the relationship between the city and district. As stated by both the Mayor and Board of Education President, the two organizations are now operating closer than ever before. Issues like school safety and traffic concerns have paved the way for future collaborations between the city and the district. Not only does this partnership have a human-centric benefit, but also a financial benefit for both organizations. By co-locating in one building, the city and the district can share costs and free up resources to do more in the community and for students. Opportunities for additional partnerships and collaboration are emerging where they may not have before and both organizations are happy to continue this model.

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