Redistricting Plan, Timeline Set In Hillsborough In Preparation Of Full Day Kindergarten

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — A "clear path forward" has been laid out by the school district for its redistricting plans in preparation for full-day kindergarten for the 2026-27 school year in Hillsborough.

Assistant Superintendent Joel Handler, who is spearheading the redistricting process, said the school district will be moving forward with maintaining the six existing local community elementary schools at the Monday night Board of Education meeting.

"This decision follows the rigorous evaluation of two alternative structural operations guided by the community input, the committee’s recommendations, and detailed data analysis," said Handler.

"We’ve been talking about this for a year plus, but now we know the direction we are going in," said Superintendent Michael Volpe.

Proposals

The district had previously considered two other options for its redistricting plan. The first proposal was to convert Hillsborough Elementary School into a fourth-grade school.

"It did not garner strong community support, and critically, it was not projected to deliver the anticipated financial savings we thought. Therefore, this option is no longer being considered," said Handler.

The second proposal was to transform Triangle School into an early childhood center for kindergarteners and preschoolers.

"Our deep dive into the current and projected enrollment data shows that the school would be immediately at capacity in year one. This scenario leaves no room for future growth... and it would quickly force us to return to the instability that we are at now," said Handler.

School Boundaries

The plan now points to keeping all six existing K through fourth-grade schools and adjusting school boundaries.

"Our primary goal is to adjust the boundaries as minimally as possible to effectively balance capacity and space utilized across all six elementary schools while providing as little impact as possible," said Handler. "We will focus specifically on balancing enrollment strategically, accommodating the current growth trends within the town, and ensuring long-term stability. "

Handler said one of the district's main goals is to look at what will happen in year two, year three, and year four, "because we don’t want to redistrict and have to do it again in the immediate near future."

Parents are expected to be notified about the new boundary lines by Spring Break.

Easing The Transition

The school district is committed to a "humanistic approach" and is looking for ways for students to visit their new schools or attend events to ensure a smooth transition.

Additionally, Handler said they are trying to keep the rising fourth graders in their schools for their last year.

However, this would most likely mean parents of those students would need to provide their own transportation. An update on the feasibility of this option is expected as it gets closer to the end of the year.

"It will be tough for kids. Sometimes it is tougher for parents, but we will take a very kid-friendly approach as we continue to implement this redistricting plan," said Volpe.

Kindergarten Enrollment

Handler stressed the importance of parents enrolling their incoming kindergartners as soon as possible to help the district better determine school boundaries.

"Our hope is to get the word out to get as many registrations as possible early on," said Handler.

Click here or see below for Handler's full redistricting plan update:

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