Redistricting update: Spring 2004

Redistricting 2004: Refining and Implementing the Overcrowding Solutions Plan

Background

After nearly three years of consideration, including dozens of public comment and hearing type meetings, the Board adopted the Overcrowding Solutions Plan in December 2002. The Plan was designed to relieve overcrowding, to more fully utilize all schools, and to assign areas to the closest school where possible within the capacity of schools in the feeder system. The plan strengthens and reinforces the feeder plan, wherein students at any elementary school move on as a group to a nearby middle school and middle school students move on as a complete group to a nearby high school. While this cannot be achieved perfectly with the existing facilities in Lexington, it is enhanced considerably in this plan. The committees also looked carefully at free and reduced lunch statistics, weighing and balancing the desire to attend closest schools with the benefits and goals of all schools being diverse.

Maps and other tools showing the fall 2004 boundaries and the changing areas are available. (See "Resources" sidebar) Large and small maps can give visual references for the attendance areas. The FCPS Street Directory gives exact school assignments for any address in Lexington, showing recent past and future school assignments as well. A chart showing the 2004-05 feeder school relationships is also available.

Fall 2003 and Fall 2004 Changes

Several changes were implemented in the fall of 2003, particularly at the elementary school level. In most cases students were removed from a crowded school and placed in a school with room, located in or not far away from their neighborhood. In one case an under utilized school in very poor condition (Russell Elementary School) was closed and the students assigned to other nearby schools with adequate capacity.

Fall 2004 changes have been planned at all levels. With this fall's recent enrollment figures in hand, the Board gave a final review to their December 2002 decisions and refined them slightly. The most significant movement of students will be at the middle school level, designed to utilize the new Edythe J. Hayes Middle School. Through the attendance boundary changes, this new school opening in August 2004 will help relieve crowding at several middle schools.

2005, 2006 and Future Changes

The Plan also includes changes well into the future, and the exact time of each change will be refined as the time approaches. Recently the Board acted upon the recommendations by the Local Planning Committee (LPC) to refine the plan. The LPC reviewed all changes that were identified as Phase 3 in the adopted plan, plus some others as may be necessary to relieve crowding in the near future. They looked at the maps, the criteria, and additional details of the Overcrowding Solutions Plan. They reviewed demographic projections of the potential impact of the changes, showing how crowding relief and other criteria of the plan will be addressed. Phase 3 of the original plan was designed to give further relief to remaining crowded schools and often to utilize new construction. Phase 3 was thought to begin in the fall of 2005, and take possibly two or more years to fully implement. In Spring 2004, the Board is refining changes for Fall 2005 and Fall 2006. Recommendations focus first on fall 2005 elementary school changes to further relieve present crowding. For 2006 a new elementary school is planned to open and replace Athens Elementary School. Several 2006 proposals will relate directly to that school and preliminary recommendations will be made for implementation in fall 2006. The adopted map showing Elementary School Attendance Area Changes for 2005-07 is available for review. No boundary changes are anticipated at the Middle and High School levels in fall 2005. Before March 2005 the LPC will review and make recommendations concerning any necessary 2006 changes at the Middle and High School levels.

Out of Area Provisions

At the time of implementing any attendance area boundary change, students may apply to finish at their current school as an "out of area" student. Generally, students entering the last year of elementary or middle school or either of the last two years of high school are allowed to finish at their previous school. Students entering other grades at the time of the change may request and stay if there is room, but in most cases, there is not room for all to stay.

It should be noted that there are some additional provisions that affect out of area students. The most significant is that bus transportation is normally just provided to the school any area is assigned to. If one attends a different school through out of area provisions, one must secure other transportation. This may mean private transportation; or it may mean getting to an appropriate bus stop in another neighborhood where you may board a bus already going to the school you wish to attend out of area.

Participation in FCPS Board Decisions

The Board makes decisions as necessary to refine and implement the adopted, Overcrowding Solutions Plan. They hear public comment at regularly scheduled meetings. Information is available from the staff and on the Internet regarding recent decisions and future plans. The Board tries to review and make decisions in the spring for changes that may be effective 15-18 months later. If necessary they also consider any fine-tuning that may be appropriate in the late fall approximately 10 months before a change is to be enacted.

When the Board refined the plan in April 2004, they heard comments from citizens, staff and the LPC before making final decisions on attendance area boundaries. They asked staff to make additional efforts in the future to notify the public, and for the LPC to make provisions for further input before the next set of recommendations. The LPC is currently working on revisions to the facilities plan and they plan for hearings on that draft several times in 2004. In fall of 2004 there will be a public meeting for comments upon upcoming phases of the Overcrowding Solutions Plan. Staff and the LPC will listen to citizens and develop a recommendation to refine and implement the plan as appropriate. They will focus primarily on changes to be effective in school year 2006-07, but may consider changes appropriate for other times as well. See the maps showing future changes to know areas the LPC is most likely to review. Additional information will be available in fall 2004. A list of areas likely to be considered for changes will be generated and made available for review by November 2004. A public hearing for comments will be planned to occur in or near early November, well before complete recommendations are to be made to the Board.

Further Information

Last update: 6/9/2005 8:48:34 AM     Printer friendly view