Vote Sets School Zones

Boundaries Approved Without Changes

ROGERS — A Tuesday night vote set school attendance zones and high school destinations for some students in the Rogers School District.

A grandfather clause for affected students leaves parents until April 1 to let their child’s school know if they plan to stay.

Teacher contracts must be set by May 1, and that’s the reason for the April 1 deadline, said Mark Sparks, deputy superintendent. District administration is 30 days behind in setting teachers and budgets at schools because of the boundary process, Sparks said.

At A Glance

Setting Boundary

The board vote set a boundary for Janie Darr Elementary School, which will open in the fall. Some students attending Bellview, Grace Hill, Bonnie Grimes, Frank Tillery and Elza R. Tucker elementary schools will change schools.

Students who attended Garfield Elementary School will switch to Greer Lingle Middle School. Darr students will attend Elmwood Middle School, then Rogers High School. Students who attended Westside Elementary School will switch middle and high school destinations to Oakdale Middle School and Heritage High School.

Source: Staff Report

School boundaries were approved without changes, but an amended grandfather clause will give sixth-graders the option to continue their school careers as if nothing has changed. Fifth-graders will move to their new destination middle school this fall, but fourth-graders will be given the option to finish out their last year at their elementary school.

Parents must provide transportation for any child who wants to grandfather in. Younger siblings aren’t included in the grandfather option.

David Walsworth ducked out of his eighth-grade daughter’s volleyball practice to find out what team she will play for this fall. His 11th-grader would have been grandfathered in at Rogers High School under the committee recommendation, but the family has been taking it one day at a time for his Elmwood student.

“I just need to know where she's going to be next year,” he said.

Transportation will not be an issue, Walsworth said.

April Lindner, a Westside parent, said she was glad the vote was over. Her second- and fourth-graders will go from Westside to Oakdale, but her sixth- and eighth-grader could choose a grandfather option. Her eighth-grade daughter is enrolled at New Technology High, but she will still need to pick a boundary school, Lindner said. Carpooling will be another matter.

“I’m not sure where I’ll be picking up kids next year,” she said.

Reactions were mixed from the other Westside parents she texted during the meeting, Lindner said.

At A Glance

Moore Promotion

Robert Moore, Rogers High School principal, was approved as assistant superintendent for secondary schools Tuesday. He will replace Phil Eickstaedt, who retires at the end of June. Moore has been principal at Rogers High School seven years. Roger Hill, assistant superintendent for human resources, credited Moore as a leader among principals and for his teamwork.

Source: Staff Report

A woman leaving after the School Board vote who identified herself only as a Westside parent said she was unhappy with the vote as her fifth-grader would have to change middle school destinations.

Before the vote Jerry Carmichael, board president, thanked those who served on the committee and the parents who voiced opinions both at the input meetings and online.

“We heard your concerns and your recommendations and that you for the interest you've expressed in our district,” Carmichael said.

During a study session last week board members credited parent input as the reason for changes.

“That’s a big win for the Westside family,” said Tim Howington, a Westside parent, after the meeting.

His fifth-grader will still change middle school destinations in the fall, but what Westside parents hope now is the class of 2020 can move through Oakdale and on to Heritage High School without changes, he said.

“Leave us alone, let us finish,” Howington said.

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