After 10 public listening sessions and several committee meetings, Warsaw Community Schools has a final redistricting option.
Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz presented an overview of the option, titled Tiger Boundary Option, to the school board Thursday night. A public work session on the final option is scheduled for Jan. 11 and, if needed, Jan. 19. The school board then will vote on "Tiger" at its Jan. 25 meeting.
If the board approves the final school district boundaries, letters will be sent home regarding school placement Feb. 1. Letters from school principals then will be sent home to parents and students. Transition activities will be presented at the February school board meeting.
During the public work sessions, two redistricting options were presented to the public. Scenario "Orange" and scenario "Black" were similar, with slight boundary changes. "Tiger", according to Hintz and Assistant to the Superintendent Chris Gensinger, is similar to the Orange and Black scenarios, but with modifications based on what the public said they wanted during the listening sessions.
In Tiger, students in The Dells and Barrington Hills subdivisions will go to Madison Elementary School. Hersher Addition students will stay at Washington Elementary.
Hintz said the request from residents around Goose Lake and Hideaway Hills for their students to stay at Washington could not be honored. Those students will go to Claypool Elementary.
Gensinger said under the Tiger option, Eisenhower will maintain its northern boundary, which is the same as saying Jefferson will maintain its southern boundary. He said that means Muirfield, Cherry Creek and Autumn Hills additions will stay at Jefferson. North of US 30, Hunter's Ridge, Willie's and Graceland Trailer Park become part of the Jefferson school district.
Shamrock Trailer Park students will stay at Harrison Elementary School. Gensinger said the rest of the Tiger scenario is the same as the previous scenarios presented.
Hintz told the school board the redistricting process started Sept. 22. The school corporation had to initiate the redistricting process because Claypool Elementary School will be reopened for the 2010-11 school year. Claypool and Jefferson Elementary both have been renovated and expanded. New Madison and Leesburg elementary schools also are being constructed, and they also will be open for the next school year.
Hintz also reviewed each of the 10 public listening sessions at each school. More than 700 people attended at least one of the meetings.
Under the Tiger option, the estimated enrollment per school is 404 students at Claypool; 445, Eisenhower; 516, Harrison; 464, Jefferson; 500, Leesburg; 409, Lincoln; 542, Madison; 411, Washington; 593, Edgewood; and 539, Lakeview.
Percentage of students staying at their current school, according to Hintz's information, ranges from 53 percent at Washington to 100 percent at Jefferson. Since Claypool has been closed since 2004, it has no current student population.
Hintz also provided the free and reduced lunch percentage per school. The lowest will be 29.9 percent at Eisenhower, with the highest at Lincoln Elementary with 65.3 percent.
Hintz said the school corporation will need about 158.5 teachers for the eight elementary schools. The full-time teacher equivalent per school will range from 17.5 at Claypool to 22.5 at Madison.
The large redistricting committee had unanimous support for the Tiger scenario, Hintz said. Next year's sixth- and eighth-graders will be grandfathered in, but transportation will not be provided by the school corporation. The choice of school for middle level students will be eliminated.
For more information on the redistricting and the Tiger scenario, visit the Warsaw Community School Corp. Web site at www.warsaw.k12.in.us/ or e-mail welisten@warsaw.k12.in.us
