Student Assignment Recommendations 2010-11

Board of Education MeetingJanuary 15, 2010

Valerie Truesdale, SuperintendentCarol Crutchfield, Office of Facilities Planning and Construction

BackgroundThe student assignment project for the 2010-11

school year had two key drivers: a) defining attendance areas for the three new

schools opening in fall 2010 and b) adjusting demographics to meet the request from

the Office of Civil Rights.

At the January 8, 2010 Retreat, when the Board added the task of eliminating overcrowding at Beaufort High and Bluffton High on January 8, the fundamental discussion changed and three new options were developed for consideration.

•The Board scheduled four public information sessions to generate ideas and obtain input.

•Sessions were completed January 11-15, 2010 at Beaufort High, Battery Creek High, Hilton Head Island High and Bluffton High.

•After listening the Board discussions and community input, studying the data, our recommendations for the Board’s consideration are as follows:

Elementary Schools Student Assignment

We recommend the original Elementary Option 3 as follows:

• Bluffton ES: The attendance area would include only neighborhoods on Buckwalter Parkway south of the intersection with the Bluffton Parkway at the Townes, and excluding the Willows, Arborwood, and Sandy Pointe.

• MC Riley ES: The attendance area would lose the “satellite piece” of the Hwy 170 corridor to Pritchardville Elementary.

• Okatie ES: The attendance area would be as current, with the addition of the Willows and Arborwood. Islands West area moves to Pritchardville Elementary.

• Red Cedar ES: The attendance area would be as current, minus the Vista View area and all of the streets on Hwy 46 from Buck Island Rd to Buckwalter Pkwy.

• Pritchardville ES:The attendance area includes all of the areas along the Hwy 170 corridor, all neighborhoods off Hwy 46 from Rose Dhu Creek west to the New River, includes all neighborhoods on Old Miller Rd and adds Vista View and all the neighborhoods along Hwy 46 west of Buck Island Road.

OPTION 3 - Demographic Details

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TOTAL ZONED

MC RILEY ES

B W H O752 86 310 317 39

(929) 11% 41% 42% 5%

TOTAL ZONED

RED CEDAR ESB W H O

684 133 223 297 31 (800) 19% 33% 43% 5%

TOTAL ZONED

BLUFFTON ESB W H O

595 72 317 167 39 (946) 12% 53% 28% 7%

TOTAL ZONED

OKATIE ESB W H O

575 83 364 100 28 (672 14% 63% 17% 5%

TOTAL ZONED

PRITCHARDVILLE ESB W H O

543 68 261 186 28 (800) 13% 48% 34% 5%

Capacity shown in parentheses

Middle Schools Student AssignmentWe recommend a new Middle Option 4:• Bluffton Area: At the January 8 retreat, Dr. Carbiener and Ms. Bush asked if reconfiguring the middle schools’

grades and finishing out Bluffton Middle would be feasible to help alleviate Bluffton High overcrowding. After due diligence regarding the building construction, costs, availability of funds, sports participation impact, research on success of ninth graders, and analysis of student data, we recommend that the Board consider assigning sixth and seventh graders to Bluffton Middle and eighth and ninth graders to McCracken Middle School for at least two years.

• Increasing Bluffton Middle School’s capacity from 800 to 1100 students (14 classrooms) could be accomplished by fall 2010 at a cost of approximately $1.1 million. Funds are available in the Bluffton Middle School project budget (2006 referendum). We would also save the cost of moving mobile classrooms to Bluffton High School.

• Adopting this Option 4 would leave approximately 500 students at McCracken Middle for their ninth grade year and reduce BLHS enrollment from 1653 to approximately 1295 (moving students up plus allowing for growth of about 75 students). One suggestion from community input sessions was to reconfigure the elementary schools as PK-6 and form two 7, 8, 9 schools at BLMiddle and HEMMS. Because of fewer fields at BLMiddle, ready access of after school sports between HEMMS and BLHS, and the opportunity for highly able students to take advanced courses at the high school, we recommend serving grades 6, 7 at Bluffton Middle and grades 8 and 9 at HEMcCracken Middle. The principals agree with this approach.

• Beaufort Area: Students who are assigned to Beaufort Elementary School currently split for middle and high school attendance. About half (246) attend Beaufort Middle School and about half (219) attend Robert Smalls Middle School. We recommend that all BES-zoned students attend Beaufort Middle School and then Battery Creek High School. This action adds about 80 students to BMS, increasing the percentage of African-American students from 27% to 33%, with Hispanic and Other categories remaining about 11%. Adopting this option keeps the PK-8 population from Beaufort Elementary together.

Using Last Years GrowthPOPULATION for Bluffton Middle ( Building Capacity 850 /1100)

BLMS Gr 6-7 Capacity 850 Capacity 1100 %B %W %H %O2010-11 910 -60 190 17% 50% 29% 5%

POPULATION for HE McCracken (Building Capacity 909)

HEMMS Gr 8-9 Capacity 909 %B %W %H %O2010-11 822 87 16% 54% 25% 4%

POPULATION for Bluffton HighGrades 10-12 Capacity 1434 %B %W %H %O

2010-11 1295 139 19% 58% 20% 3%Middle School Option 4 works as long as the BLMS is exanded to the 1100 capacityAgain, HE McCracken would become overcapacity by 2013-14 in this Option

Bluffton area

Beaufort Elementary area

If we keep all BES students together and they go to BMS then to BCHS keeping K-8 together:(which keeps BES - MOES - PRES all going to BMS)

TOTAL B W H O %B %W %H %OBMS 469 153 264 34 18 33% 56% 7% 4%RSMS 475 239 175 44 17 50% 37% 9% 4%

Current ZONED TOTAL B W H O %B %W %H %OBMS 388 106 237 27 18 27% 61% 7% 5%RSMS 565 288 208 52 17 51% 37% 9% 3%

Current ATTENDING TOTAL B W H O %B %W %H %OBMS 615 183 378 31 23 30% 61% 5% 4%RSMS 545 284 198 49 14 52% 36% 9% 3%

Results:Adds about 80 students more to BMS, raises the zoned %B from 27% to 33%, and decreases the %W from 61% to 56%, and would keep this group of students who attend school at BES together through grade 8.

High School Student Assignments

We recommend the following new High School Option H:• Whale Branch Early College HS: The attendance area

would include all of the WBMS zone, plus Laurel Bay and the areas just outside of the gate including the neighborhoods of Irongate, Capehart, and Pinewood subdivisions.

• Battery Creek HS: The attendance area would include the RSMS zone (minus the areas assigned to WBECHS) and adds all of the Beaufort ES zone and the Port Royal ES area.

• Beaufort HS: The attendance area includes all of LIMS zone plus the area of Mossy Oaks Elementary.

• Bluffton HS: Attendance boundaries would not change; however, ninth graders would be served at McCracken Middle School.

• Hilton Head HS : Attendance boundaries would not change

This table shows the anticipated enrollment under OPTION H using the counts of the current students in grades 8-11 and making the calculations for allowing the current 11th graders who live in the Whale Branch area to remain at Battery Creek HS for their senior year.

Students Grades 8-11

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Current 11th graders at BCHS who live in the WBHS Zone will be required to stay at BCHS for their senior years. As a result BCHS and WBHS zones look like this :

School Total B W H O

Whale Branch ECHS (650) 460 72% 24% 2% 1%

Battery Creek HS (1505) 1098 50% 40% 7% 3%

Percentage

School Total B W H O

Beaufort HS (1595) 1393 47% 47% 4% 2%

Hilton Head HS (1382) 1150 15% 56% 27% 2%Bluffton HS – Grades 10-12(1434) 1295 19% 58% 20% 3%

Whale Branch ECHS (650) 566 73% 24% 2% 1%

Battery Creek HS (1505) 992 47% 42% 8% 3%

Capacity shown in parentheses

Additional Policy Recommendations

• “Grandfather” rising high school seniors who are affected by student assignment changes.

•Consider exceptions to students assignment changes by application to a Student Services Appeal Panel, to promote consistency and fairness.

•Tighten criteria for programmatic transfers, specifying admission requirements for each program. Only transfers approved by Office of Student Services will be allowed, alleviating schools from this responsibility.

Additional Policy Recommendations• Monitor closely compliance with approved transfers.

Require transfers to be renewed annually.• Require annual student registration in August to verify

home addresses and other important information for each student to reduce students’ attending out of home zones.

• Promote programmatic transfers that alleviate overcrowding at Beaufort High and Bluffton High, providing transportation if feasible, for such programs as Early College magnet at Whale Branch, International Baccalaureate degree programs at Hilton Head High and Battery Creek High.

• Retain current employee courtesy transfer benefit.