Thank you to everyone who completed the parent survey and shared thoughts or suggestions on a plan being considered to adjust attendance zones for Cannon Elementary, Dove Elementary and Silver Lake Elementary. The plan would alleviate crowding at SLES caused by steady growth in student enrollment. This growth trend has been ongoing for the past five years and, in the most recent demographic report, is projected to continue through 2020.

NEW! 4-27-12 Based on parent feedback, we have adjusted the plan to include moving the large apartment complex that is being built near Turner and Boyd from the SLES attendance zone into the Dove attendance zone. Additional explanation of this decision can be found below. Revised Map of Proposed Attendance Zones

The following information is provided in response to questions or comments from parents on this matter. Topics are listed in random order.

How were the boundary lines determined?
Many factors and data have been considered when determining where to adjust the attendance zones. These include the impact on families in these school communities, the number of students in each geographical area, campus enrollment trends and projections, proximity to nearby schools, specialty program enrollment such as dual language and bilingual, bus transportation, building capacities, possible staffing adjustments, and parent feedback. With assistance from the district demographer, campus principals and district administrators evaluated all these factors in drafting new boundary lines that transfer enough students from SLES to Dove and Cannon to relieve overcrowding at SLES while also balancing student populations among the schools.

Who will be grandfathered to stay at SLES?
Under the proposed plan, several specific student groups would be grandfathered at SLES:

• Fifth-grade – any SLES students who will be in the fifth grade next year, including bilingual students, may choose to stay at SLES. Siblings also would be allowed to remain for the year.
• Dual language students in grades 2, 3 and 4 – SLES students in the dual language program who are entering the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th grades would stay at SLES for as long as they remain in the program. Siblings also would be allowed to remain at SLES for as long as a family member is in the dual language program.
• Dual language students entering first grade who are zoned for Dove will remain at Silver Lake since Dove does not have a dual language program. Siblings also would be allowed to remain at SLES for as long as a family member is in the dual language program.
  

Why not grandfather all current SLES students and start the attendance zone adjustment with new students next year?
The district planning team did consider this option and made as many allowances for current students as the campus could handle. However, SLES needs immediate relief and grandfathering all current SLES students will not resolve the overcrowding that exists today. Silver Lake has seen steady, substantial growth over the past five years. For 2012-2013, enrollment is expected grow by another 67 students and that growth is expected to continue over the coming years. The campus simply cannot continue to maintain a safe and manageable educational environment with current and rising student enrollment.

Would the district consider delaying the attendance zone adjustment for one year?
Unfortunately, this situation at SLES needs to be addressed now as delaying the process will only cause more overcrowding next year. After reviewing enrollment trends at SLES and receiving the demographer’s report that showed SLES attendance continuing to grow at a steady rate, it became certain that we had to address attendance zones for SLES now to allow for the growth that is projected in coming years.

Is the two-way dual language program at SLES causing the large growth at that campus?
No. The dual language program at SLES is comprised of students who would otherwise attend SLES already. The program is open to students district-wide where space is available (Cannon and Timberline), but home campus students get first priority and SLES is able to fill the program with students who are already slated to attend SLES.

Won’t the current bond construction at SLES eliminate the overcrowding at that campus?
No. The addition at SLES from the 2011 Bond Program will replace the portable buildings with four multi-purpose classrooms and four smaller spaces for reading specialists to work with students in small groups. The construction will not create additional space for more students, but will provide more permanent spaces for existing instruction that currently is housed in portable buildings.

How will this impact high school attendance zones?
High school attendance zones would remain as they are currently under the proposed plan. Homes that are zoned for CHHS would continue to be zoned for CHHS while homes zoned for GHS would stay at GHS. High school attendance in GCISD is determined by the address of the home, not by the elementary or middle school in which a child attends. Middle school attendance zones also would not change. The district does have an inter-district transfer policy in place for families with extenuating circumstances.

Based on feedback received from the parent meetings and survey, district leaders will further study the possibility of adjusting high school attendance zones. If an adjustment is made, it would begin with the students who will be in the fifth grade in 2012-2013; meaning next year’s fifth-grade students, the Class of 2020, would be the first class to attend high school under an adjusted attendance zone. Students in grades 6 and higher in 2012-2013 would be grandfathered under the current system and would not be impacted. Again, the district will take time to study this option but no decisions have been finalized.

Will this impact middle school attendance?
No. All students attending Cannon, Dove or Silver Lake are zoned to attend GMS and that would not change under the proposed plan.

Why move the apartments near Grapevine Mills Mall? Shouldn’t those families remain at SLES since that is the closest school?
Although projecting future student enrollment is always a moving target, providing the relief needed at SLES requires moving approximately 110-120 students out of the SLES attendance zone. In doing so, we considered all areas, looking specifically for areas that have a large yield of students so as to help realize the needed relief. There are five apartment complexes near Grapevine Mills that yield approximately 80 students. In addition, these students would be able to remain on their existing bus route with an additional 3 miles added to the current route.

How will this change affect the bus route times for those receiving bus transportation from the apartments near Grapevine Mills Mall?
Bus pickup times in the morning for these students will not change; we will maintain a 7 a.m. pickup time for students in these apartments. Our study of the impact to this route shows that an additional 5 minutes will be needed for a total of 30 minutes on the bus each way. The longest route currently is 55 minutes (CHHS to the Mills-area apartments). Overall for all routes in the district, the average amount of time students are on a route is 25 for elementary, 25-30 for middle, and 35-40 for high school.

Will adjusting the attendance zones provide enough relief for SLES?
Silver Lake has seen steady, substantial growth over the past five years. For 2012-2013, enrollment is expected grow by another 67 students. Adjusting the attendance zones now would reduce SLES enrollment by approximately 110-120 students, which would bring enrollment down to 630-640 for the coming school year. This would be a more comfortable number of students at SLES. Although the area is expected to continue to grow, reducing enrollment now also will allow for the natural growth that is projected in coming years.

How will this impact Dove student enrollment?
Under the proposed plan, Dove attendance is projected to increase by about 100 students. This would bring the current attendance of approximately 500 students to 600 next year. Over the next 10 years, student enrollment at Dove is projected to remain relatively stable, with slight drops in the next five years. Based on these projections, Dove will be able to comfortably manage the addition of students.

How will this impact Cannon student enrollment?
Under the proposed plan, approximately 18-20 students would be moving to Cannon. This will not have a large impact on the enrollment at Cannon.

What is the number of students classified as economically disadvantaged for all three schools and what is the projection with the adjustment to attendance zones?

	SLES	DOVE	CANNON
Current	42%	26%	66%
Projected	45%	27%	66%
Percent Change	+3%	+1%	0

How will this impact class sizes?
The state mandates a ratio of 22 students per teacher in grades K-4. No mandate exists for grade 5. District may apply for waivers and GCISD applied for waivers last year at other elementary school. Currently, the district does not have plans to seek waivers for SLES or Dove. Under the proposed plan, the district anticipates adding four classes at Dove for 2012-2013.

Will additional teachers and/or personnel be added at Dove?
Staffing is based on the current state requirements for student-to-teacher ratios. As additional classes/sections are needed at Dove, staffing needs will be considered and additional staff will be either hired or transferred internally as necessary to maintain appropriate class sizes and available programs.

What other attendance zone adjustments are being planned in the district?
While district leaders continually monitor enrollment and school capacities, no other attendance zone adjustments are being planned for the coming year.