Republic elementary school boundaries to change next school year

Some elementary students in the Republic school district will be attending different elementary schools within the district next year, due to a change in next year’s boundaries for the schools within the district.
Republic has five elementary schools, so to determine which elementary-aged children in the district attend what school, the district map is divided into sections, one for each school. Children attend the school of the section they live in. The Republic School Board voted during their meeting on Thursday, Feb. 21, to approve a new map of the district, with the schools’ boundaries redrawn for the 2019-20 school year.
A page on the website announcing the change stated that the boundaries were redrawn with the following goals in mind: Balance enrollments, prepare for future growth, consider economic status of schools, maximize transportation efficiency and minimize the number of students impacted.
The new boundaries are expected to effect 120 students, less than six-percent of the district’s 2,212 elementary students. Currently, the elementary schools’ student populations are: Lyon, 394 students; McCulloch, 499 students, Price, 439 students; Schofield, 485 students and Sweeny, 399 students. With the boundary lines redrawn, the elementary student populations for the 2019-20 school year are expected to be: Lyon, 457 students; McCulloch, 411 students; Price, 440 students; Schofield, 424 students and Sweeny, 450 students.
Jason Perkins, executive director of operations for the district, spoke about the boundary changes during the board’s meeting. He said the biggest impact would be that about 50 students currently attending Schofield will move to Sweeny next year, and around 60 students currently attending McCulloch will move to Lyon. Perkins also said Schofield’s and McCulloch’s student populations were purposely left lower than the other schools’ because new housing which is being developed within those schools’ boundaries, and they will need to be able to absorb new students who are expected to come into those schools as a result.
To help the affected students and their families transition into their new schools, Perkins said the district was reaching out to them in various ways.
“We’re going to send out a district letter and e-mail to all the families that are impacted,” he said. “Then, we’re going to follow up with a video from the buildings, from Lyon and from Sweeny, to those students at Schofield and McCulloch, welcoming them to their building. Then, in the end of March or in the spring, we’re going to have leadership assemblies at Lyon and Sweeny, that we will transport … students from Schofield and McCulloch, to those buildings to participate in that leadership day. They’ll come out with a leadership T-shirt, just to help them feel like they’re part of that building, and realize it’s not so scary. Then, in May or sometime in April, we’ll have an open house/family night, welcoming new students to those buildings, so not only can those students come in, but the families of those students can come in, and they can begin to get used to that building and see that it’s not vastly different from where they were before, (and) it just hopefully takes some anxiety away from having to locate to a new building.”
For more information on the new boundaries and the effects they will have, go online to www.republicschools.org/boundaryupdate.
 

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Lawrence County Record

312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
www.lawrencecountyrecord.com

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