A sigh of relief for some parents and a sigh of frustration for
others as Morgan Hill School Board trustees learned that there will
not be time to redraw boundary lines for district elementary
schools in time for the start of school in August.
A sigh of relief for some parents and a sigh of frustration for others as Morgan Hill School Board trustees learned that there will not be time to redraw boundary lines for district elementary schools in time for the start of school in August.
Any adjustments in boundaries would go into effect for the 05-06 school year.
The district convened a boundary committee last year to study both elementary boundaries as well as to create high school boundaries to prepare for the opening of the new Sobrato High School this fall. After its initial presentation to trustees with elementary and high school recommendations, the committee was told to focus on high school boundaries.
Now, however, some district parents and teachers are speaking out about the need for looking at elementary boundaries again. Parents and teachers from Barrett Elementary, the district’s newest elementary school which opened in 2001, have attended board meetings to tell trustees their school has a disproportionate amount of low socio-economic students and not enough resources to provide the extra help these students need.
Barrett parent and volunteer Lori Faulk, who served on the last boundary committee, told trustees in October the construction of new affordable housing neighborhoods, such as the Jasmine Square development on Monterey Road next to the Post Office, need to be taken into consideration.
“I called around (to other district elementary schools), and at Barrett, the 4-6 grade classes on average are four to five students larger than the others,” she said. “You cannot have a school with a majority of very needy students. There are other schools that can offer services and help these students excel.”
During its Nov. 15 meeting, the board voted to contract with a consulting firm, Jack Schreder and Associates, at a cost not to exceed $21,250 to study the elementary situation and recommend boundary changes.
The funds to pay the fee would come out of developer fees the district receives.
Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini told trustees last week that, as a result of concerns some trustees had voiced earlier, she had stipulated to the firm that recommendations for changes would be presented to the board. She also told trustees Monday that Schreder and Associates would be able to use some of the data gathered by the district’s boundary committee, which would lower the cost of the consulting fee. But the recommendations will not be ready in time for parents to take advantage of the district’s choice placement option, which begins in January.
“Nordstrom is full, has been full, so that is not an option, but parents who want to be considered for other schools can take part in the choice placement program,” Tognazzini said. “But the consultant’s recommendations will not be completed at that time, so it is clear we cannot shift the boundaries until the following year.”
Tognazzini also pointed out that concerns over Jasmine Square and the second phase of Murphy Ranch, on the corner of East Dunne Avenue and Butterfield Boulevard, could be unfounded. She told trustees that many of the families that would be moving into these new neighborhoods are already Morgan Hill residents, with children already in Morgan Hill schools, so there would not likely be a large influx of these students into Barrett Elementary.
