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You
are here: POLICY ISSUE: DISTRICT WIDE REZONING
DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE
Rezoning is the adjustment of school attendance zones to shift the student population from a school(s) that is overcrowded to another school(s) that has space for additional students. Scheduled, periodic district-wide rezoning can better match student enrollments with available space.
PRESENT SITUATION in Leon County
Rezoning has been done over the last fifteen years in conjunction with the opening of a new school. A committee of district and community members use projections and other data to recommend zone adjustments to the superintendent and the School Board. Usually, an attempt is made to fill the new school at 80% capacity or less, reduce overcrowding a nearby schools, maintain neighborhood integrity, support feeder patterns, and avoid significantly altering the racial balance at other schools.PRESENT SITUATION in other Florida school Districts/other states
Most districts in Florida are experiencing significant growth that requires regular rezoning related to opening new schools. Several districts remain under desegregation plans and have an ongoing rezoning committee that annually recommends zone changes to enhance racial balance. These include districts such as Lee, Duval, Broward and Hillsborough. Extensive busing has been required in most of these Florida and other districts under court orders nationally.INTENDED OUTCOME - Affect on District Capacity Needs
Rezoning can increase the enrollment in underutilized schools and decrease enrollment in schools that are overcrowded. Rezoning can make underutilized sites more cost effective. Most costs are associated with the support of students and resources generally follow the student.COST CONSIDERATIONS
School Site
Capital
None other than that associated with normal enrollment growth.Operating
Operating efficiencies are expected to occur at sites being more fully utilized. A reduction in wear and tear at over capacity sites should occur as well.District Level
Capital
Savings can be obtained by the reduction in need for new buildings or additions to school through permanent or portable classrooms.Operating
No significant impact.Transportation
Additional buses may be required if significant transportation or distances occur because students are not attending closest school.Food Service
No significant impact.Maintenance
No significant impact.ACADEMIC CONSIDERATIONS
Programs
Increased student population an underutilized schools sometimes permits the offering of additional programs that could not otherwise be supported by the school. Some special programs that involve reduced class size (Chapter 1 school wide, Drop out and ESE full or part-time) would have to be taken into consideration when determining the maximum capacity (program vs. workstations) of receiving schools.PERSONNEL CONSIDERATIONS
Personnel in the staffing plan are generated by the number of students. Underutilized schools with increased enrollment would earn some additional staff, with the sending school staff reduced, usually, but not always proportionately.Classroom Teachers
Potential staffing transfers.Academic Support Staff
Potential staffing transfers.Administrative
No significant impact.Administrative Support Staff
No significant impact.Other Support Staff
No significant impact.STUDENT CONSIDERATIONS
Students may be assigned to schools that are not the nearest or second nearest to their homes and have to travel a distance on the bus. Because underutilized schools often are not adjacent to over capacity schools, feeder patterns may be disrupted. However, district-wide rezoning could mitigate this problem.PARENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
Parents feel strongly about their neighborhood schools across all segments of this community. Having children bused to a more distant school may meet with resistance.COMMUNITY CONSIDERATIONS
Rezoning is never easy for a community, often pitting one neighborhood against another. There is also a great deal of discussion about what is included in a particular neighborhood as well as the importance of the school community.POTENTIAL BARRIERS
Neighborhood patterns, population shifts, locations of schools, people not attending schools they are zoned for, distances between schools with capacity and schools over capacity and other factors make rezoning a difficult task. If system-wide rezoning was implemented now, available high school capacity would be exceeded by the year 1997, elementary school capacity (after two new schools) by the year 1999 and middle schools (after one new school) by the year 2000.POLICY IMPLICATIONS
Policy 3.02 provides for options for student assignment and reassignment that gives flexibility to the Superintendent in between rezoning. Policy 3.022 addresses attendance zones and can be modified at any time with adequate public notice.REGULATORY/LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
Zone changes are the responsibility of the School Board bases upon the Superintendent's recommendation. Citizen involvement and public hearings are essential elements to the process and have influenced the results in the past.Draft May 23, 1995
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