School Buffer Zones May be Changing, Public Hearings Upcoming [POLL]

That family may be sending their kids to a different school than you do. Under a new proposal for the school buffer zones, many more families will be living in these spaces between schools. 

The Public Schools of Brookline's Buffer Zone page describes buffer zones as: 

A buffer zone is an area surrounding a neighborhood school district that serves two or more schools. All of the elementary schools in Brookline have buffer zone streets in their district. Buffer zones were designed to keep class sizes small by allowing the Superintendent the discretion to assign students to either of the schools served by their buffer designation based on the enrollment at the grade that the child is entering.

With , the Superintendent's office is seeking to shift and expand the buffer zones around the schools of Brookline, which will give them more flexibility in assigning students to schools. The proposed map (See PDFs at right) comes by way of the Ad Hoc Enrollment Subcommittee, which was tasked with examing, and possibly re-drawing, buffer zones. They even examined the possible impact of Hancock Village. 

According to the Buffer Zone FAQ, these expanded zones will not affect students who are already enrolled in schools, or their younger siblings. Families just moving into a buffer after July 1, however, can request one of the nearby schools over another, and the Superintendent's office "makes every effort to accommodate parent/student preference."

Families interested or concerned about these changes can attend the two public hearings on the subject. One tonight, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. at, the other is at the same time and place on Feb. 9. Residents can also e-mail comments to Subcommittee Chair Rebecca Stone at rebecca_stone@brookline.k12.ma.us or call the School Committee office and speak with Robin Coyne, 617-730-2430.