Parkside Discussion: Redistricting

Parkside Discussion:  Questions about Redistricting

This document is intended to answer questions that have arisen as we have begun a conversation about repurposing Parkside Elementary to an Early Childhood Center.

Should we redistrict to add students to Parkside Elementary?

When the district created new elementary boundaries last year, it was anticipated that Parkside would have more students than it does.

One solution that has been presented is to redistrict to add students to Parkside.

The rationale for not redistricting:

1. Each elementary building is currently appropriately sized.
   1. Moving students to Parkside to create two sections per grade level is not easily done. 
   2. The two closest buildings - Edgerton Trails and Valley View – currently have extra capacity.
      1. Why would we reduce their size when they already have open classrooms?
   3. Roguewood is a two-section per grade level building in both general education and Spanish Immersion.

2. We created the Northland Dr. boundary to divide the district east and west to ensure that elementary school students would attend middle school together.

3. Each elementary building has at least two sections per grade level, leading to teacher collaboration opportunities during common planning and early release times.
   1. Moving students could possibly create the situation we are trying to avoid – one-section grade levels. 

4. It is true that this is a problem that we created at Parkside with the new boundaries. 
   1. But the boundaries work at every other school.
   2. The solution is not to undersize other buildings and make multiple buildings inefficient.

5. Moving a boundary would not guarantee having students in the right grade levels. 

6. We have excess capacity at the elementary level. 
   1. Creating an Early childhood Center meaningfully uses this excess capacity to benefit the district.