Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)

Proposed Recommendations

Update 7/01/04

REDISTRICTING REASONS

Reasons for redistricting school boundaries: School imbalances-severely overcrowded schools in central Richmond and under-enrolled school in the outer northern and eastern boundaries due to 1) Population decline and depressed California economy. Slower growth rate in WCCUSD in 2001-02 is due to 1) age based demographic shifts, and 2) birth rate decline since 1990. Fewer kindergartens entered school in 1996-04. Increase not expected for this cohort until 2005.

REDISTRICTING FOCUS

The focus of rebalancing schools is on school residents, not enrollments (which include transfers), on moving student residents in over-enrolled schools to the under-rolled schools closest to their neighborhoods and, where necessary, temporarily consolidating under-enrolled schools to use funds from temporary closures to support critical staffing needs.

REDISTRICTING GUIDELINES

The committee used the following guides in making their recommendations:

1) BOE policy recommending the following maximum and minimum enrollments:

q 450 minimum and 800 maximum - elementary schools,

q 900 minimum, and 1200 maximum - middle schools

q 1200 minimum and 1800 maximum - high schools

2) BOE principles, ('closest to home" 3) school capacities, 4) usable acreage, 5) expandability, 6) transportation routes, 7) road access and safety,8) temporary school closure savings, 9) new building site plans,10) keeping full-time principals/key staff, 11) new neighborhood developments and potential developer fees, and 12) costs of portables.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following preliminary recommendations are under discussion. Consultant Jamie King's assessments follow each suggestion. These assessments are described in more depth on the district web site in the June 1 presentation.

Recommendations that have been adopted by the committee are noted in bold type.

1. Approve the new maps and have the District aggressively implement transfers to move students to other schools.

JK: Feasible. The new maps could not balance all of the schools to the minimum or maximum levels set by the BOE and left that decision as well as school consolidations and closures to the BOE with input from the parent advisory committee.

PAC: Under discussion

2. Cut off Highland at the 80 freeway and transfer students to Sheldon because there is good transportation access or to Murphy, if good transportation access can be arranged.

JK: Feasible. This change will redirect only 12 school residents to Sheldon or Murphy.

ADOPTED:

Level 1: 17 Endorsement

Level 2: 0 Endorsement with a minor point of contention

Level 3 : 0 Agreement with reservations

Level 4: 1 Formal Disagreement but willing to go with the majority (will provide in writing)

Abstain: 0

TOTAL: 18

3. Divide Seaview (undeveloped area) and send one half of Seaview students to Collins. Temporarily close Seaview and send other half to Shannon. This would balance enrollments at Collins and Shannon.

JK: Feasible. Could redirect so that both Collins and Shannon are evenly balanced. Currently 10 Seaview residents attend Sheldon and 17 Seaview residents attend Collins. The eastern portion of the Seaview boundary can feed 41 students to Collins and 130 students to Shannon. Of these, 31 students would need new classrooms at Shannon and 1-3 classrooms would be needed.

PAC: Need more fiscal information.

1. Temporarily close Fairmont and move all students to the new Harding School, which is under enrolled, and have one principal instead of one half at each school.

JK: Feasible. Fairmont could redirect 183 students to Harding without the need for portables and keep one full-time principal. Currently 47 Fairmont students currently attend Harding. Fairmont could feed 183 students to Harding without needing additional classrooms.

PAC: Need more fiscal information.

1. Restore Verde's southern border to the train tracks.

JK: Feasible. Verde has very isolated streets and it would be difficult to redirect students there without good transportation. Verde is expandable. Would need 2 portables to accommodate additional students

ADOPTED (with amendments to the original)

Level 1: 16 Endorsement

Level 2: 1 Endorsement with minor point of contention

Level 3: 0 Agreement with reservations

Level 4: 1 Formal Disagreement but willing to go with the majority (will provide in writing)

Abstain: 0

TOTAL: 18

1. Move some Castro students to Madera

JK: Feasible. We can move Castro's northeast border to Madera. Castro already feed 15 transfers to Madera per year

PAC: Need more fiscal information and a decision on Fairmont/Harding first.

1. Push Harding's boundaries more north, then push Fairmont's and on up the map to relieve overcrowding and create a flexible domino effect eventually reaching into the over-crowded schools.

JK: Not Feasible. Can't do it. Geographical borders make this impossible.

REJECTED

Level 1: 17 Endorsement

Level 2: 0

Level 3: 0

Level 4: 0

Abstain: 1

TOTAL: 18

8. Move Verde's southern border into Peres and maintain the Verde neighborhood.

APPROVED

Level 1: 16

Level 2: 1

Level 3: 0

Level 4: 0

Abstain: 1

Total : 18

9. Approve all elementary school maps subject to other considerations such as,

consolidations, transfers, campus expansions (portables), new school construction, neighborhood priority, Family hardships, and the Kensington issue.

APPROVED

Level 1: 0

Level 2: 0

Level 3: 19 Approve with stipulations

10. Approve all middle school maps.

APPROVED

Level 1: 17

Level 2: 1

Level 3: 1

Level 4 : 0

Abstain : 0

Total : 19