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Central Point board gets boundary-change plan At first, change would affect 160 elementary students By VICKI GUARINO GOLD HILL -- Rural elementary schools would draw more students from Central Point under a plan reviewed by the school board Tuesday. If enacted as proposed by a committee of Central Point city and school officials, new enrollment boundaries for all five elementary schools would initially affect an estimated 160 students. In many cases, families would lose what now is a choice between two schools. Boundaries for Hanby and Scenic Middle schools would not change, according to the proposal. Meetings have been scheduled at the elementary schools beginning next Tuesday to draw public comment. Maps delineating the current and proposed boundaries will be posted, as well as descriptions. "We want as much public input as possible," board Chairman Dave Gilmour said during the presentation at Patrick Elementary School in Gold Hill. Hinting that the plan may be unpopular in some neighborhoods, Gilmour added, "If you like the proposal, let us know that too." The goal of realigning school enrollment boundaries is to ease crowding at the schools within the city of Central Point. The rural schools -- Patrick and Sams Valley -- have room to spare; meanwhile schools in town are packed and have resorted to makeshift accommodations. And recent enrollment trends, reflecting residential growth within Central Point, have made the problem worse. Delivering school enrollment reports for January, Superintendent Mike McClain told the board, "in-town schools still show an increase, out-of-town schools still show a decrease." The boundary committee began work last fall, conducting an exhaustive survey of households to learn the number and ages of youngsters -- even preschoolers. "We tallied all of that information," said committee head Candy Manary, who takes over as superintendent of the 4,500-student district in July. "We need to have a feel for what is coming in." For instance, this year the district found itself with an unusually large kindergarten class. Now, school officials have begun seeking preschool information to try to gauge enrollment for next year. To help the process along, the district and the city of Central Point are surveying all families moving into the town's new homes. Part of the interest is in determining whether families are new to the school district, or simply shifting within the district. "Sometimes you think with new home you'll have new students, but they are not necessarily new students," Manary said. The board took no public testimony on the boundary proposal, but they received a petition from parents on a somewhat related issue. The petition asks for sixth-graders to be transferred from the middle schools to Patrick and Sams Valley elementaries. The board agreed that the petition should be part of deliberations on the boundary issue. School meetings on the boundaries will held as follows: Richardson Elementary, 7 p.m. March 2; Sams Valley, 7 p.m., March 3; Patrick, 7 p.m., March 4; Jewett, 7 p.m., March 10; Central Point Elementary, 6 p.m., March 11. The boundary committee will consider public comments and draft a final recommendation to the board. Board members agreed to adopt a final plan April 27. Details of the plan Parents in several Central Point neighborhoods would find themselves sending their elementary school children to new schools -- and not necessarily the school closest to home -- under a proposed school boundaries shift. Roughly, youngsters closer to the rural Gold Hill and Sams Valley schools would go to those schools. The plan also would eliminate isolated pockets of families whose children now are bused to Central Point Elementary. And the plan would eliminate so-called "crossover zones," the areas where parents have a choice of two schools. Students would move as follows: To Jewett from Richardson: (24 students) Scenic Village (Dobrot, Crestwood Circle, Crestwood, Parkwood, DelMar, RockWay, Inglewood), Marys Way, Nancy Avenue, Lenora Lane, Eric, Lark Jay Bee, and Drake. To Jewett from Central Point: (10 students) Royal Heights (Comet, Crown, Princess, Victoria, Windsor, Kings). To Patrick from Richardson: (48 students) Willow Springs, Tolo Road, Tamarack Lane, Tioga Way, Shady Brook, Nellis Avenue, Merita Terrace, Blackford Lane, Ventura Lane, Weiss Way, Gold Rey Road, Corcoran (off Scenic) and Lane Creek. To Sams Valley from Central Point: (66 students) Forest Acres (Oakhurst, Pinehurst, Elmhurst, Laurelhurst) North Vilas Road east of Table Rock Road (Justice, Peace, Rainbow, Judge, East Gregory, Maverick, Agate, Bateman). To Sams Valley from Jewett: (10 students) north of Gibbon Road (Downing, Ponderosa, Ravan, Harold, Gem, Chaparral, West Gregory). Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA