Sweeping attendance-zone changes approved by the Stafford School Board last night will reshape every high school's district.
The new zones accomplish two goals. They create a student body for Stafford's fifth high school, Mountain View High, which is slated for opening this fall. They're also designed to ease overcrowding at the other four schools.
The School Board unanimously voted to approve--with some caveats--what was referred to as the "Plan A" redistricting option.
Plan A means about 514 students from the Colonial Forge High School district will move to Mountain View next fall. These students live, approximately, west of Shelton Shop Road, Stefaniga Road and Poplar Road. About 714 students will move from North Stafford High School to Mountain View. These students live west of Shelton Shop Road.
Also, about 466 Brooke Point High School students will move to North Stafford High School. These students live west of Interstate 95.
Approximately 78 Colonial Forge High School students living in the Bells Hill Road area will move to Brooke Point High School.
Several hundred students will move from the Stafford High School zone to Colonial Forge High School.
These students live in England Run subdivision and Stafford Lakes subdivision. A small section of England Run subdivision, called The Meadows at England Run, will remain at Stafford High School.
The School Board also made several additional rulings regarding redistricting:
Autumn Ridge subdivision will remain in the Colonial Forge High School zone.
Shelton's Run and Beau Ridge subdivisions will attend Mountain View High School.
All rising seniors will be allowed to opt to stay at their current school.
However, transportation will vary for seniors.
Rising seniors who live in the new attendance zone for Mountain View High School will receive transportation to their current school. Mountain View will open without a senior class. Therefore, seniors living in its district must remain at their current school.
Seniors redistricted to attend Brooke Point, Colonial Forge, North Stafford or Stafford High who choose to remain at their current school must provide their own transportation.
A student who wants to attend a high school outside of their new zone can apply for a transfer.
Transfer forms will not be available until early February, said Jean Murray, superintendent of Stafford schools.
The redistricting vote followed a full hour of debate among School Board members. A sizable crowd listened to the debate, occasionally clapping after comments.
Officials initially disagreed on some points. Member Robert Hunt wanted rising juniors and seniors to have the option to stay at their current high school; Member Patricia Healy wanted siblings of seniors to have that option, too. But consensus was finally reached.
Member Edward Sullivan drew hearty applause from people in the audience when he brought up the reason behind redistricting: crowding in schools. He said he supported allowing seniors to stay, but otherwise felt everyone else should shift to new zones.
"We're redistricting because Stafford is overcrowded I think that's the bottom line," Sullivan said.
Stafford's next middle school will be built in southern Stafford, with a fall 2006 opening. It will be built on land adjacent to Grafton Village Elementary.
In December, county supervisors denied the School Board's request to borrow $16.4 million to build two middle schools in 2006, saying the final construction cost would create a budget shortfall.
So with just enough money to build one school, the School Board had to decide between a site in northern and southern Stafford.
In a 6-1 vote last night, it picked the Grafton Village site. Member Dana Reinboldt was opposed.
A delayed construction schedule for the northern middle school would have prevented it from opening on time.
Brooke Point High School administrators received permission to begin using block scheduling this fall.
Last month, Mountain View officials also got permission to use block scheduling. Both schools will use the same type of block scheduling. School officials have not decided yet which format of block scheduling to use.
To reach KELLY HANNON: 540/374-5436 khannon@freelancestar.com