School boundaries get a second look

Susan Troller:

Madison parents in the Valley Ridge subdivision who objected to seeing their neighborhood split and some of their children moving to Falk Elementary may be pleased with the latest developments in planning for new west side school boundaries.

Likewise, parents who expressed concern about proposed school pairing plans that would join Falk and Stephens, or Falk and Crestwood schools, may also be breathing easier.

Those potential boundary plans might be off the table following the School Board's long-range planning committee on Monday.

Carol Carstensen, chairwoman of the board's planning committee, said the administration was asked this week to refine what's become known as Plan B, which keeps more children in their current schools than previous plans. As part of Plan B, children in areas surrounding Channel 3 on the city's western fringe may be moved to Falk Elementary, which is in a contiguous neighborhood, Carstensen said.

The boundary changes are necessary because of the need to balance student enrollments at west side elementary schools in anticipation of opening a new far west side elementary school next fall. The new school, located west of Highway M, is now under construction.

School boundary changes try to balance the use and capacity of school buildings with the distance and cost of transporting students. In addition, there is an effort to provide an economic mix of students, Carstensen said.

Background: boundary changes.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at February 7, 2008 8:41 AM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas