Elementary School Redistricting Plan in Final Stages

As construction crews toil away to complete the new Memorial School on schedule, the has been tackling the redistricting plan with an eye toward lower class sizes across the four elementary schools.  The plan is available in draft form and interested parents have from now until March 22, 2011 to weigh in. On March 22nd, the School Committee will vote on the final plan.

As the before and after maps to the right show, the plan involves moving students from , and elementary schools into the new . The School Department achieved its goals in terms of class sizes.  A pocket of students from the Arboretum apartment complex on Peach Orchard Drive will continue to be bused past Memorial School on their way to Fox Hill School.

The School Department also expects to move four teachers from Fox Hill and four teachers from Pine Glen over to the new school.  According to Craig Robinson, Director of Finance and Operations, the teacher placements will not be finalized until early June.  It is difficult to accurately predict enrollment at each school because it is unknown at this time what percentage of fourth grade students will elect to remain in their current location for their final year of elementary school. In addition kindergarten enrollments are not yet complete.

The procedure for selecting which teachers will move is not yet finalized but the Department will try to take into consideration the preferences of principals and teachers. The fact remains that some teachers may have to move against their wishes. As Robinson stated “the big bodies must follow the small bodies.”

No teachers are expected to move from the Francis Wyman School because despite the reduced number of students, the number of classrooms will remain the same. The School Department does not anticipate the need to hire new classroom teachers, but may be required to hire additional specialist teachers (physical education, art and music teachers and special needs teachers) for Memorial School.

Parents of current fourth grade students can elect to keep their child in his or her current school but will be required to provide their own transportation to that school.  Parents can also apply to keep younger children in their current school just as any Burlington parent can apply to send their child to a school outside their own district. Such cases are decided on an individual basis and parents must provide transportation.

The School Department intends to send a letter to all parents of elementary school students after March 22nd informing them of the school their children will attend next year as well as the procedure for requesting individual exceptions.

Parents with concerns about their child’s school placement can contact the School Department at 781-270-1800 or bring their concerns to the School Committee. The School Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 and Tuesday, March 22, 2011. Both meetings begin at 7:30 pm and are held in the School Committee meeting room at Burlington High School.

School

# students

Avg class size

Memorial

447

18.6

Francis Wyman

526

17.5

Pine Glen

307

17.0

Fox Hill

391

17.0

Note on maps (right):

Map 1 shows current district plan

Map 2 shows the proposed district plan for September 2011.

Yellow = Francis Wyman

Blue = Memorial

Green = Fox hill

Pink = Pine Glen