2 New Public School Redistricting Scenarios Considered In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — With an emphasis on achieving racial balance throughout the district, two new redistricting scenarios were presented to the Fairfield Board of Education Tuesday, both of which potentially effect close to 20 percent of elementary students.

Both of the scenarios, referred to as 4F and 4G, offer traditional redistricting plans and host Early Childhood Centers at two schools, either at Jennings and North Stratfield, or at Holland Hill and North Stratfield.

The scenarios meet the board's request to prioritize achieving racial balance, but they are not perfect. That is partly due to the numbers of students who would be moved throughout the district, almost in a clockwork fashion (see a summary of the scenarios below).

"We tried to keep walkers as best we could, but the impact to some of them could not be avoided," said Pat Gallagher, one of the consultants from SLAM, the group advising Fairfield on redistricting.

During the meeting, a dozen parents voiced concerns over redistricting, complaining that the new scenarios would require busing students to other schools/districts, when they live less than a mile from their current school.

"It's just cruel to put elementary students through this," one parent said.

Fairfield Public Schools is under a mandate from the state to address racial imbalance, but after months — years — of discussion, it has not settled on a specific plan.

At its next meeting on Sept. 26, the board will begin discussions on scenarios 1a, 3, 4, 4F and 4G, with the hope of settling on a scenario to vote on by the end of October to send to the state.

"In essence, you did what we asked you to do with these scenarios," Board Vice Chair Nick Aysseh told the SLAM representatives, though Aysseh did not say which, if any, scenario he or other board members favored.

— Fairfield Public Schools, SLAM