PF9 School Attendance Areas

The administration is to regularly evaluate the viability of schools and school clusters in light of population dynamics, facility adequacy, and site capacity. Current demographic information will be maintained for the District and for each school. Information about the adequacy of school sites, location, access, surrounding development, and transportation requirements will be updated annually. Proposed changes in attendance areas are submitted to the Board of Education for approval by the Superintendent.

Changes will be administered by either boundary changes or administrative changes.

Duration between Boundary Changes

It is the policy of the Board to minimize the movement of students between schools when a boundary change occurs. The Board will weigh movement of students when boundary changes must be made in order to balance school enrollments. After a boundary change has been implemented, additional changes in the affected attendance area will not be made for at least three years unless there is a substantial increase or decrease in the student population or unless other circumstances arise which adversely affect the attendance area or nearby attendance areas. The boundary changes process is a result of on-going district analyses of schools attendance areas. The process is based on ongoing analyses of enrollment, projections, community concerns, transportation, growth, population dynamics, site capacity and Capital Master Plan.

On-going District Analysis:

• Enrollment
• Community concerns
• Transportation
• Growth
• Population Dynamics
• Site capacity
• Capital Master Plan

Possible Decisions:

• Provide New Capacity (new schools, portables, etc.)
• Schedule Changes/Flex Schedule
• Boundary Changes
• Administrative Changes
• Grade Reconfiguration
• Combination of the Above

School Attendance Area Analysis

Based on the analysis and need, possible decisions for Boundary change or Administrative change are made. The process is described on the chart shown above.

Administrative Changes impacts only a small geographic areas (e.g. individual neighborhoods).

The Boundary change process goes through series of meeting where all the stakeholders are involved during each step. The flow diagram shown below explains the steps. 

Boundary Change Process Flow Diagram

Public Input Occurs Throughout the Process:

1. Boundary Change Committee
2. Public Hearing
3. Boundary Change Committee
4. Superintendent
5. Capital Outlay Committee
6. Board of Education

Boundary Change Process Flow

The boundary change process is administered by Boundary Committee, which consists of

• Appropriate Associate Superintendent (nominal chair) – voting member
•  Appropriate level support principal – voting member Principals from each of the impacted schools – voting member
• One teacher from each of the impacted schools – voting member
• One parent from each of the impacted schools – voting member
• One neighborhood coalition representative from the impacted area – voting member
• Support personnel
  • APS staff
    • Capital Master Plan Department: facilitates, coordinates and manages the process
    • Facilities Design & Construction Department: provides project status
    • Transportation Department: provides bussing impacts and options
    • Real Estate Department: provides information when needed
    • Human Resources Department: plans for staffing
  • City Planning Department Representative: Acts as a liaison between APS and the City
  • County Planning Department Representative: Acts as a liaison between APS and the County
• Impacted school principals in conjunction with Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) select the parent and teacher representative for their school.
• The primary role of the individual school and neighborhood committee members is to represent their constituents' interests and keep them updated on the progress and issues of the boundary committee process
• Decisions are made based on empirical and qualitative data, as well as educational and community needs of students.
• All options/opportunities are reviewed while considering all facts and constraints (fiscal and physical)
• As much as possible, attendance pockets and gerrymandering are eliminated
• Enrollment numbers between schools are balanced to keep them viable
• Proportions of students transported are minimized to encourage walking and neighborhood schools and to minimize transportation costs.
• Natural boundaries such as arroyos, major thoroughfares, and natural demarcations are used.

Administrative Position:             Chief Operations Officer

Department Director:                  Executive Director of Capital Master Plan

References:

Board Policy Cross Ref.:                    FB Facilities Planning

                                                            JC School Attendance Areas

Procedural Directive Cross Ref.:        Students Attending School outside their Attendance Boundaries

                                                            Determination of Utilization and Capacity

NSBA/NEPN Classification:        JC

 

Approved: February 22, 1989
Revised: August 2, 1989
Reviewed: January 17, 1990
Revised: July 10, 1991
Reviewed: October 27, 1993
Revised: November 3, 1993
Reviewed: September 20, 1995
Revised: October 4, 1995                                                                                                    
Revised: February 20, 1996
Revised: April 2001
Reviewed: September 2009
Reviewed: August 10, 2016

This page was last updated on: December 9, 2009.