Stafford closer to final elementary school redistricting plan

STAFFORD — The Stafford County School Board held its first town hall for the parents of elementary-aged students to hear about the county’s elementary school redistricting plans.

The redistricting meetings come after discussions the School Board had during Capital Improvement Plan negotiations in June 2018, when it and the county’s Board of Supervisors 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 head start program.

The school division bought the building for $7.2 million in December 2018.

The School Board has two different plans to choose from — Plan A and plan B. Each elementary school will be affected in different ways. For example, some Aquia Harbour residents won’t be attending the newly rebuilt Ann E. Moncure Elementary School opening in Fall 2019. Those students will be sent to Hampton Oaks Elementary School.

A total of 3,195 students would be affected if plan A were to be chosen and 3,800 students would be affected if the School Board chose plan B.

The redistricting plans will take effect during the 2019-2020 school year. The School Board’s main goal is to limit school capacity to or around 85 percent for the 2022-2023 school year.  

Despite the School Board’s best efforts, it appears that some schools will still be a few percentage points over the main goal of 85. Schools that are 88 percent or higher are:

• Anthony Burns (88.44%)
• Hampton Oaks (88.45%)
• Anne Moncure (90.19%)

No elementary schools will be under 81 percent capacity in Plan A

Schools that will be at 88 percent or higher in four years will be:

1. Kate Barrett (88.41%)
2. Conway (88.64%)
3. Falmouth (88.33%)

Hartwood and Margaret Brent elementary schools are projected to be under 80 percent capacity during the 2022-2023 school year in Plan B.

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

Elementary schools over capacity include:

• Margaret Brent
• Anthony Burns
• Hartwood
• Stafford
• Widewater

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

Many parents were concerned about the already long bus rides for their children, while others who attended the public meeting at Drew Middle School asked how long their child’s bus ride would be if they were relocated to another school.

“We have not looked at each bus route yet,” said Scott Horan, assistant superintendent for operations.

According to Schools Superintendent Scott Kizner, some staff such as ESL teachers or Special Education teachers could be moved from their current school and placed in a school with higher percentages of special needs students but the administration will remain the same in each school.

The most recent round of school redistricting occurred in Stafford in 2015. One parent, concerned about their child being potentially moved again and asked if those students were exempt from being moved for the second time in four years.

“Students who were moved during the 2015 elementary school redistricting are not exempt from the process but the School Board will do their best not to move those affected in 2015,” Kizner said.

The School Board had originally wanted to include a redistricting committee in the process. They decided against the committee after a second thought.

“The School Board wanted to minimize conflicts of interests such as friendships and outside influences,” Kizner said.

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

The School Board will hold a final meeting for public input at H.H. Poole Middle School on January 23 at 7 p.m.

The School Board will make their final decision on the redistricting plan in late February or early March.