Growth Management Proposal Tied to Community Engagement Meetings

Growth Management Glossary

Growth Management Proposal Timeline

December 13, 2005 - The WCPSS Growth Management Department held a series of 12 Community Engagement meetings across the county in the fall to help inform and involve the public in the student assignment process for 2006-07. Participants had the opportunity to directly state concerns and ideas about the growth management process. Below is a table of the top issues identified by the community in the community engagement meetings and the response of the WCPSS Growth Management Office.

Top Issues Community Engagement Statements 2006-07 Proposal

Allow high school juniors to remain at their schools
  • Many reasons: stability with friends and teachers, extracurricular activities and college-bound friends. Advanced courses may not be available at the new school
  • By the time a student is going into the third year of high school they have established their course as a student, circle of friends and extracurricular activities
  • Please do not move juniors when opening new high schools. These students already have vested interests in the schools they attend
  • New high schools open with grades 9 and 10

Stability
  • Stability is the key. Families need to invest in a school for the long term.
  • Family feeder patterns - all children in the family should be allowed to attend the same elementary, middle and high schools as they age through the system
  • About 75% of elementary students reassigned have had the same assignment for more than five years
  • About 84% of middle school students reassigned have had the same assignment for more than five years
  • About 74% of high school students reassigned have had the same assignment for more than five years

Proximity

  • Try to accommodate proximity to schools
  • Approximately 75% of elementary students reassigned will go to a closer school
  • About 50% of high school students reassigned will go to a closer school

Spot node assignment
  • Keep kids together with their peers
  • Please bring node 653.0 closer home.
  • Do not split neighborhoods; keep neighborhoods together.
  • Please do not split neighborhoods among several elementary schools
  • 106 spot nodes have been re-assigned to the same school as the parent node, or both the spot node and the parent node were assigned to the same school.

Provide grandfathering
  • Keep students that went to elementary, and then middle school together when they go to high school
  • Students going from an existing school to an existing school in grades 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, and 12 may request a transfer to remain at the current school (without transportation)
  • Students going from an existing school to a new school in grades 5 and 8 may exercise the same option