Board Adopts Elementary School Boundary Change

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Children living in areas impacted by new elementary school boundaries going into effect in 2014 would be able to remain at their current school so long as they were enrolled by the fall of 2013 and parents notify the district of their choice by Nov. 1.

The Ames School Board adopted the proposed boundary changes and new rules by a unanimous vote Monday. The first proposed change will come with the opening of the new Miller Avenue School in 2014.

Board Member Rodney Briggs, who represents the boundary committee, said the committee decided to offer choice to students only enrolled by the fall of 2013, because they didn't want to leave the option open-ended.

Briggs said the majority of parents and teachers were in favor of the fall 2013 cutoff date, because they were most concerned about relationships that students might have formed at their current schools.

“A child who has not enrolled in the district has not established those relationships yet,” Briggs said.

The Miller Avenue school is one of three new elementary school buildings that will serve the district. It would replace Edwards Elementary but wouldn't serve the same attendance zone as Edwards does now.

Some students who currently live in the Edwards Elementary School attendance zone would be moved to Sawyer Elementary School for example. According the draft map, the boundary for the Miller Avenue school would take students from Edwards, Sawyer and Mitchell elementary schools. And Meeker Elementary School would growth south, taking some students from Mitchell Elementary.

See new school boundaries and more.

Parents have to let the registrar know their school of choice by Nov. 1 2013, according to a release from the Ames Community School District.

Parents will also be responsible for providing transportation if they choose to send their children to a school outside of the new boundary.

Boundaries between Meeker and Fellows elementary schools are expected to change in the fall of 2016 and students will also be able to remain in their current school at that time as well so long as they are enrolled by the fall of 2015.

In both cases, families that choose to stay in their current school (instead of the new boundary school) will be allowed to change their mind and have the option to send students to their new boundary school in the following year.