Boundary Changes are finally happening!

Today the Superintendent mailed to parents a letter describing the current proposal to move elementary school boundaries in the San Carlos School District. This plan was presented to the Board on November 3rd, and the Board was generally supportive of the changes, which have been a long time in the making. This proposal was also based on recommendations by a community-based enrollment and boundary sub-committee formed earlier this year, a demographic study completed last year, and significant public input and discussion over the last several years regarding the mismatch in capacity and service areas in our four K-4 elementary schools.

This attached note lists what streets would be affected, but the changes would be roughly as follows:

• The area between Howard St. and Brittan Ave, between Cedar and El Camino would move from White Oaks to Brittan Acres
• The east side (above Bransten Rd, which is where I believe everyone on the East Side lives) would move from Brittan Acres to Arundel
• The canyon area west of Devonshire/Exeter/Madera would move from Arundel to Heather

Here is a link to the map.

Currently, there are between 52-64 students in each of those areas, so this shift would basically result in a net area increase to Heather and a net area decrease to White Oaks. However, we’re not actually shifting any kids. If we were to enact this change, it would only affect future students, not current students. If a student is in an existing elementary school, they have the right (by Charter School law) to stay in that school through 4th grade, So, in practice, this boundary change gets phased in over five years as only new students within these affected areas start going to their assigned schools.

There are three important meetings coming up that I encourage you to attend:

• Community Town Hall – Monday, November 30th at 7:30pm (San Carlos Library, Room A, 2nd floor): The Superintendent and Principals will answer questions regarding the proposal
• School Board Meeting – Thursday, December 3rd at 7:00pm (Central Middle School Library): The Board will discuss the proposed changes
• School Board Meeting – Thursday, December 10th at 7:00pm (Central Middle School Library): The Board will likely act on the proposed changes

Note that part of the proposal which will be discussed and likely acted upon at the Board Meetings is the list of “preference items” for groups of students that may enroll in our schools. For example, the proposed policy will continue to give preference to students residing within a school’s “boundaries”, to siblings of current students, and to students generally who reside within the SCSD.

No one considers this boundary change the panacea for our enrollment issues. Besides the fact that it would take five years to take full effect, there are a number of other issues we need to tackle in the next year or two, including middle school boundaries and whether or not we can increase physical capacity at any of the schools.

On a related note, the administration has already begun its process of “pre-registration” for incoming Kindergarten students, and all reports point to the fact that it has been a much smoother process than in years past.

I encourage everyone to attend the Community Town Hall and the Board meetings if you can.