Elementary school redistricting process begins

STAFFORD — The purchase of a shuttered Fredericksburg Christian Schools campus triggered a new round elementary school redistricting.

Schools officials earlier this month held an information session with parents about elementary redistricting at Rodney Thompson Middle School. The session was held to inform parents who have children in overcrowded elementary schools that their students may soon be moved to another school.

The Board of Supervisors and the School Board agreed to re-district schools if the Board of Supervisors purchased the old Fredericksburg Christian Schools campus, located in North Stafford to house the division’s headstart program. The school division this month bought the building for $7.2 million.

The School Board must now re-district some elementary schools around the county. The move would alleviate crowded classrooms, for example, at Hampton Oaks Elementary School, while moving students to schools like Rock Hill Elementary School which is under capacity.

Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Kizner addressed the crowd and took questions from parents. The redistricting effort will focus only on elementary schools.

“We don’t see at this point to do a middle school and high school redistricting,” Kizner said when addressing a question about the potential for a countywide redistricting effort.

Many parents, worried about where their child would end up, attended and asked questions that showed where the school system is during their redistricting process.

Currently, in the elementary schools, there are 3,000 vacant seats throughout the county.

Elementary schools over capacity include:

• Margret Brent
• Anthony Burns
• Hartwood
• Stafford
• Widewater

Garrisonville and Rock Hill elementary schools are the only schools under 70% capacity.

According to Kizner, the school system will look to redistrict with three different criteria:

• Size of the school
• Proximity to residents homes
• The balance of students, taking into account different socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities

The School Board hired the consulting company Arc Bridge to assist them in the redistricting proposals. The firm has worked across the U.S. helping to redistrict schools in San Diego.

According to Kizner, when projecting the school’s enrollment, they have worked with the Board of Supervisors and looked at the comprehensive plan when discussing future subdivision projections.

“The School Board and Board of Supervisors have been in great communication with each other during the proposals,” Kizner said.

Rising fifth graders will be grandfathered in and allowed to continue going to the original school they were at during fourth grade.

“Parents must provide transportation for the fifth graders,” Kizner said. “We aren’t going to send a bus to another district to pick up a child.”

The School Board will also appropriate $2.5 million for renovation costs. The School Board will hold public hearings at Drew Middle School on Jan. 15 and Jan. 23 at H.H. Poole Middle school. The meetings will start at 7 p.m.

The School Board plans to make the final decision on the redistricting plans in late February or early March.