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Feb. 8 Boundary Committee Meeting Summary
February 9, 2017
The Lindbergh Schools Boundary Committee met for the second time on Wednesday, Feb. 8, to narrow down map options and begin more detailed work establishing attendance zones for six elementary schools. After working in small groups and weighing pros and cons of each option from meeting one, the committee came to a unanimous consensus that Option 3 is the map from which they will begin work. When the committee meets again on Feb. 22, they will evaluate potential changes to the elementary school map and discuss middle school boundaries.
The Boundary Committee has received more than 80 emails from community members since its first meeting on Jan. 25 and is considering all feedback. An FAQs page has been created to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.
Criteria Review
A lot of the committee discussion revolved around building capacities. Currently, Lindbergh’s five elementary schools collectively operate at 110 percent of overall capacity. The most crowded school, Long, is at 119 percent, followed by Concord (115 percent), and Sappington. This year, more than 100 Sappington fifth-graders moved to Sperreng Middle School for one year, to relieve overcrowding. Sappington’s current K-4 enrollment is still 107 percent of the building’s designed capacity.
While all four scenarios offer relief for elementary school overcrowding, the committee agreed it is important for enrollment (as a percentage of the building's total capacity) to remain balanced among all six elementary schools. Option 3 was developed with capacity as a primary criteria.
Current Enrollment (as of January 2017)
*644 is Sappington’s enrollment for grades K-4. This year, 122 Sappington fifth grade students attend Sperreng Middle School for one year only, to relieve overcrowding until Dressel opens. Sappington’s K-5 enrollment is 766, which would equal 127% of the building’s capacity if fifth grade were to be housed at Sappington this year.
Option 3 Enrollment Projections
Evaluating Options
The committee worked in small groups to develop pros and cons for each option, based on the six criteria that were established in meeting 1: building capacity, plan for growth, minimize family movement, maintain neighborhoods, transportation and geographical features.
Option 1
The committee liked Option 1 for its ability to be modified based on community feedback and its minimal movement for current families. Option 1 offers balanced growth in the coming year, but projections show that Sappington and Crestwood will become unbalanced by 2020-21.
Option 2
The committee’s main concern with option 2 was that three elementary schools would become overcrowded while the other three would be significantly below capacity, including the district’s brand new building, Dressel Elementary School. They also did not think this option would allow much flexibility for the committee to make changes.
Option 3
Option 4
Option 4 offers balance enrollment numbers, except for Sappington, which would be at 116 percent by 2020-21. The committee agreed it would be difficult to adjust this map to correct Sappington’s numbers. Option 4 also moves the most families out of their current schools, which the committee listed as a con. Schools seemed to be centrally located, but the committee was concerned that the Fenton area is divided into thirds in this option. The committee noted that very little positive feedback was received from the community in regard to Option 4, and agreed that it would not be the best starting point for work.
The committee has read and considered all community feedback, and will be looking at several areas between now and its next meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Community Feedback
The committee has received more than 80 emails submitted by community members and will be considering all requests as it begins work on Option 3.
In order to streamline additional community feedback, the district has created a survey for parents and community members that is specific to Option 3. This will allow all feedback to go into a centralized form, and will allow the committee to organized and consider all comments.
The Lindbergh Schools Boundary Committee met for the second time on Wednesday, Feb. 8, to narrow down map options and begin more detailed work establishing attendance zones for six elementary schools. After working in small groups and weighing pros and cons of each option from meeting one, the committee came to a unanimous consensus that Option 3 is the map from which they will begin work. When the committee meets again on Feb. 22, they will evaluate potential changes to the elementary school map and discuss middle school boundaries.
The Boundary Committee has received more than 80 emails from community members since its first meeting on Jan. 25 and is considering all feedback. An FAQs page has been created to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.
Criteria Review
A lot of the committee discussion revolved around building capacities. Currently, Lindbergh’s five elementary schools collectively operate at 110 percent of overall capacity. The most crowded school, Long, is at 119 percent, followed by Concord (115 percent), and Sappington. This year, more than 100 Sappington fifth-graders moved to Sperreng Middle School for one year, to relieve overcrowding. Sappington’s current K-4 enrollment is still 107 percent of the building’s designed capacity.
While all four scenarios offer relief for elementary school overcrowding, the committee agreed it is important for enrollment (as a percentage of the building's total capacity) to remain balanced among all six elementary schools. Option 3 was developed with capacity as a primary criteria.
Current Enrollment (as of January 2017)
Building |
Enrollment |
Capacity |
Percent |
Concord |
687 |
600 |
115% |
Crestwood |
503 |
500 |
101% |
Kennerly |
469 |
450 |
104% |
Long |
655 |
550 |
119% |
Sappington |
644* (K-4) |
600 |
107%* |
*644 is Sappington’s enrollment for grades K-4. This year, 122 Sappington fifth grade students attend Sperreng Middle School for one year only, to relieve overcrowding until Dressel opens. Sappington’s K-5 enrollment is 766, which would equal 127% of the building’s capacity if fifth grade were to be housed at Sappington this year.
Option 3 Enrollment Projections
School (Capacity) |
2017-18 |
Cap |
2018-19 |
Cap |
2019-20 |
Cap |
2020-21 |
Cap |
|||
Concord
(600)
|
569 |
95% |
576 |
96% |
583 |
97% |
585 |
98% |
|||
Crestwood
(500)
|
442 |
88% |
448 |
90% |
493 |
99% |
521 |
104% |
|||
Dressel
(650)
|
610 |
94% |
619 |
95% |
644 |
99% |
659 |
101% |
|||
Kennerly
(450)
|
431 |
96% |
437 |
97% |
469 |
104% |
500 |
111% |
|||
Long
(550)
|
478 |
87% |
502 |
91% |
506 |
92% |
536 |
97% |
|||
Sappington
(600)
|
570 |
95% |
579 |
97% |
615 |
103% |
659 |
110% |
Evaluating Options
The committee worked in small groups to develop pros and cons for each option, based on the six criteria that were established in meeting 1: building capacity, plan for growth, minimize family movement, maintain neighborhoods, transportation and geographical features.
Option 1
The committee liked Option 1 for its ability to be modified based on community feedback and its minimal movement for current families. Option 1 offers balanced growth in the coming year, but projections show that Sappington and Crestwood will become unbalanced by 2020-21.
Option 2
The committee’s main concern with option 2 was that three elementary schools would become overcrowded while the other three would be significantly below capacity, including the district’s brand new building, Dressel Elementary School. They also did not think this option would allow much flexibility for the committee to make changes.
Option 3
The committee felt that this option provides the most balanced enrollment projections across all elementary schools and accommodates growth better than the other options. Schools are centrally located in attendance zones as well, making sense geographically. The committee also liked the flexibility to make adjustments moving forward.
Option 4 offers balance enrollment numbers, except for Sappington, which would be at 116 percent by 2020-21. The committee agreed it would be difficult to adjust this map to correct Sappington’s numbers. Option 4 also moves the most families out of their current schools, which the committee listed as a con. Schools seemed to be centrally located, but the committee was concerned that the Fenton area is divided into thirds in this option. The committee noted that very little positive feedback was received from the community in regard to Option 4, and agreed that it would not be the best starting point for work.
The committee has read and considered all community feedback, and will be looking at several areas between now and its next meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Community Feedback
The committee has received more than 80 emails submitted by community members and will be considering all requests as it begins work on Option 3.
In order to streamline additional community feedback, the district has created a survey for parents and community members that is specific to Option 3. This will allow all feedback to go into a centralized form, and will allow the committee to organized and consider all comments.