Inspired by a rapidly growing community and school system, Auburn City Schools is currently making moves toward elementary school rezoning that would accommodate the opening of a new elementary school on Richland Road for the 2018-19 school year. The Auburn City Schools rezoning intends to balance out the existing crowded facilities as well as maintain a certain socio-economic percentage at each school. The change would impact 342 kindergarten through fourth graders—about 10 percent of all ACS elementary students.
A new elementary school that will house grades second through third has been approved for a location on Richland Road. It will serve as the in-between for the existing Richland Elementary and Yarbrough Elementary, with the two changing grade structure to kindergarten through first and fourth through fifth, respectively.
The opening of the new Richland Road school for the 2018-19 school year is part of Phase 2 of Auburn City Schools’ Facilities Plan 2024. Phase 2 of the plan also includes opening a sister school for Yarbrough Elementary in 2021 and opening a second high school in the city in 2022.
Vetting for the Auburn City Schools rezoning boundaries started in June 2017. The proposed boundary plan aligns with the following guiding principles:
- Maintaining +/- 3 percent from the elementary district average socio-economic percentage.
- Move the fewest number of students possible.
- Consider student proximity to facilities as much as possible.
- Optimize facility utilization while considering projected enrollment.
Here are a few facts and figures on the current elementary zoning for Auburn City Schools, including percentage of utilization.
Here are the same facts and figures for the proposed Auburn City Schools rezoning.
Specifically, here’s who the Auburn City Schools rezoning would affect:
- In the current Early Education Center and Ogletree zone
- Students north of Interstate 85 and East Samford Road would move from AEEC and Ogletree to Dean Road and Wrights Mill.
- In the current Cary Woods and Pick zone
- Students south of Opelika Road and West Drake Avenue would move to Dean Road and Wrights Mill.
- In the current Dean Road and Wrights Mill zone
- Students west of North Donahue Drive would move to Richland, New Richland and Yarbrough.
- Students north of Glenn Avenue would be coming in from AEEC/Ogletree and Cary Woods/Pick.
- In the current Richland and Yarbrough zone
- Students will attend Richland (K-1), New Richland (2-3) and Yarbrough (4-5).
- Students west of North Donahue Drive would move to Richland, New Richland and Yarbrough from Dean Road and Wrights Mill.
Draft projections were created using 2017-18 enrollment data, which will be adjusted once the 2017-18 enrollment is finalized in December.
Public rezoning forums were held Nov. 6 and 7 to discuss the Auburn City Schools rezoning. The school system is currently using the public feedback it collected from these forums to finalize boundary plans and inform facility plans. The superintendent is expected to recommend boundary changes to the board for approval in January 2018.
For more information on the proposed rezoning, watch this video from Cooperative Strategies. The video includes current and proposed rezoning maps.
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