School District Narrows Down Boundary Options

At a special board meeting yesterday morning, the continued the , narrowing down the options.

The board reaffirmed its commitment to four K-5 schools -- nixing any discussion that had been beginning in the community about the possibility of reopening the debate over another smaller school at Deer Park, a plan the board voted down last year after opposition from the Fairfax Town Council and from Fairfax residents.  in November, said Board President Chris Carlucci, with the plan to expand existing schools, not open a new one.

The board did, however, revise the acceptable sizes of the four schools to range from 340 to 420 students, which could allow a slightly larger school at Manor and smaller one at Brookside Upper.

Parents have been strongly in favor of allowing families to go to the school closest to them, but, without enough families around Brookside Upper, it would create disproportionately-sized schools.

The board also decided to focus its final decision-making on the three scenarios at right. In scenarios D and F -- which vary around the borders of the boundaries on which neighborhoods would go to Wade Thomas, Brookside Lower or Manor -- the neighborhood around San Francisco Boulevard would be sent to Upper Brookside, while most students in Fairfax would go to Manor. 

In scenario G, a new scenario presented to the board at its meeting yesterday, the community around Deer Park and up into the hills would be sent to Upper as well.

The board will refine these scenarios and determine next steps at its March 24 meeting at 7 p.m. A few select scenarios will then be sent out for community input and, possibly, a traffic study. What that community input would consist of is yet to be determined.

Despite the continued debate among the community over the boundary issue, the board also reaffirmed its commitment to begin these new boundaries for new students in the 2011-12 school year. Existing students will be able to continue at their current school or shift to the school in their new boundary if they choose. 

Final boundary decisions are expected to be made by mid-May.