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Elementary school redistricting plans narrowed down to three proposals

Date: 4/16/2015

LONGMEADOW – The Elementary School Redistricting Subcommittee narrowed down its ideas for redistricting to three proposals at its April 7 meeting, which was attended by at least 40 parents and community members.

Superintendent of Schools Marie Doyle said redistricting is being considered due to overcrowding at Blueberry Hill School.

The first two proposals, dubbed Proposals A and C, involve utilization of what Doyle called “defined districts” for redistricting.

Proposal A, which was first brought forward in a letter from Doyle to parents in February, would require relocating 60 K-3 students from Blueberry Hill to Center School.

The planned neighborhood for redistricting in this proposal is located in a rectangular area, the borders of which are Farmington Avenue to the south, Route 5 to the west, Forest Glen Road to the north, and Laurel Street to the east.

Proposal C, which Doyle said was proposed by the Redistricting Subcommittee’s Data Subcommittee, would call for the relocation of 70 students located within Bliss Road to the north, Williams Street to the south, Grassy Gutter Road to the east and Laurel Street to the west; as well as the area between Williams Street and Merriweather Drive.

Proposal E was submitted by Aleks Mitreski, a Redistricting Subcommittee member and Blueberry Hill School parent, which would plan for a buffer zone/swing area for new students, who would be assigned by an administrator to a school within two miles of their home. The proposal also calls for placement based on available space within the schools with an emphasis on allowing parents or guardians to indicate a school of preference.

“It is the only way to solve this problem,” Mitreski added. “With any kind of redistricting, on average, will work five years and then its probably another five years of pain before anybody’s brave enough to tackle this problem.”

The buffer zone would be composed of about 1/4 of the town’s population, he noted.

More than a decade ago, the district redistricted approximately 100 students from Center School to Blueberry Hill, Mitreski said.

“It looked like a good idea at the time, but Blueberry Hill enrollment remains steady while Center and Wolf Swamp declined,” he added. “So, all of a sudden that was a failed solution. So, now we’re going back and saying, ‘Well, now that we have some more space at Center, we’ll move them.’ But, what if enrollment rises at Center School?

“Then we end up in the same situation [as we were] ten years ago,”?he continued. “I feel like while the kneejerk reaction is to say, ‘Let’s move 60 kids and the numbers will be right,’ that’s right for this year.”

Subcommittee member Tom Mennella, who is also a Blueberry Hill School Council member, said “this foregone conclusion” that redistricting would likely have to take place roughly every five to seven years bothers him.

“As a parent, that’s just crazy to me, especially seeing what this is doing to the town,” he added. “Some plan that allows flexibility and compensation over the long term, I really believe is probably the most important charge that this committee is facing right now, so what’s happening now doesn’t happen again.”

Doyle said Proposal E might not solve long-term issues of redistricting due to overcrowding of schools.

“Plan A or C should last for another five to 10 years,” she added. “Plan E some people feel as though you might not have to redistrict again. I’m not certain of that because you can’t predict the enrollment in any given neighborhood.”  

Thus far, the subcommittee has voted to recommend that all fifth graders be “grandfathered” into their home schools, Doyle said. The committee has not voted to approve any of the three plans or to recommendations to grandfather remaining students.

The subcommittee also unanimously removed Proposal B from the list of redistricting plans. This proposal would have potentially redistricted 72 students from and to Center and Blueberry Hill schools.

Ultimately, the subcommittee would give its recommendation to Doyle, who would then pass it along to the School Committee for the final decision.

“We understand that parents love their home schools, but we will be developing a transition plan to make sure that all student who are moving from one school to another are done so with dignity and respect,” Doyle said.

For more information about the Elementary Redistricting Subcommittee visit www.longmeadow.k12.ma.us/news/2015redistrictinginformationpage.