Groton Superintendent Outlines More Redistricting Choices

Superintendent Paul Kadri presented an updated redistricting plan Monday that would preserve neighborhoods and bring the schools closer to compliance with the state’s racial balance laws.

The redistricting plan, which must still be adjusted, would shift elementary students to create just enough space at Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School to allow more magnet students to attend and bring the school into compliance with racial balance laws.

However, S.B. Butler Elementary would be out of compliance for having too many non-minority students.

The board of education directed Kadri to consider an option he suggested of adding programs such as early childhood classes, to draw in minority students to Butler rather than splitting up neighborhoods.

because Catherine Kolnaski had a minority population of 60.3 percent. A school is considered racially imbalanced if the minority population is greater than 25 percentage points above the district average.

The Board of Education had hoped to seek a waiver of the racial balance rule, but learned from Connecticut State Board of Education Legal and Governmental Affairs attorney Laura Anastasio, and little wiggle room to correct the imbalance in other ways.

"I don't think it's fair"

School Board Member Patricia Doyle said she worked on a redistricting group six years ago and it was thankless.

“I’m heart sick that we have to do this because the state is telling us to do this,” she said. “I don’t think it’s fair.”

She added, “If we have to do this every five or six years, I don’t know if I care for compliance.”

School Board Member Shelley Gardner commented, “The state doesn’t care if we have feelings.”

Middle School Redistricting

Under the latest redistricting plan, students would attend middle schools based on this arrangement: those at Claude Chester, Northeast Academy and S.B. Butler would go to Cutler Middle School.

Students at Catherine Kolnaski, Charles Barnum, Pleasant Valley and Mary Morrisson would go to West Side.

Cutler would receive 519 students, and would become 71 percent non-minority.  West Side would receive 513 students and would become 55 percent non-minority.

Elementary Redistricting

The elementary redistricting plan would have Charles Barnum and Mary Morrisson pick up students from Pleasant Valley so that Pleasant Valley school could take neighborhood children out of Catherine Kolnaski Magnet, freeing up space.

The idea is that added space would allow more magnet students from outside the neighborhood to attend.

Some specific changes are below:

• Charles Barnum would pick up students from the area of Fulton Drive and Lafayette Street who now attend Pleasant Valley.

• Pleasant Valley would extend its area south and pick up students from streets including Triton Place, Nicholas Avenue and Chapman Street.

• Mary Morrisson would cover additional territory to the south and pick up students from the Bayberry Hill Road area, Virginia Avenue and parts of Elderkin Avenue and Rainville Avenue.

• Claude Chester would keep Midway Oval in its district.

• Butler would keep Ring Drive, and would add an area to the north including High Meadow Lane and Daniel Brown Drive.