FAYETTEVILLE -- The School District is still working through rezoning plans as it prepares to open a new middle school next fall, though a decision on the matter is expected next month.
The School Board discussed the restructuring of middle school attendance zones during a work session Tuesday and its regular monthly meeting Thursday.
Nika Waitsman, board president, said Thursday the plan is to study the issue some more during a workshop, then make a rezoning decision at the board's next meeting on Jan. 26.
Rezoning is necessary to accommodate John L Colbert Middle School, which is set to open in August on the district's far west side.
Holt and McNair will be the other two middle schools. Owl Creek, currently a school for grades K-6, will become strictly an elementary school -- grades K-4 -- next year.
McNair currently has 747 students, far above its capacity of 692, according to data presented by Bob Templeton, demographer for Zonda Education.
That presents numerous challenges, such as crowded hallways and traffic crunches outside the school during drop-off and pick-up times, said Michelle Hayward, director of elementary and middle school education.
The district has proposed rezoning the southeast portion of the district from McNair to Colbert starting next fall, which would impact about 113 current McNair students, according to Deputy Superintendent Megan Duncan.
While that would relieve the crowding at McNair, it would add to travel times to and from school for those students, Duncan said.
The board also considered two other options this week. One was to keep current fourth-graders at Happy Hollow Elementary through their fifth-grade year next school year. Another option presented was to do the same thing at Butterfield Trail Elementary. Both Happy Hollow and Butterfield Trail are feeder schools to McNair.
The board, however, agreed Thursday to eliminate those two options. Teachers and others advised against it, board members said.
That would seem to leave only one option on the table -- shifting students on the southeast side from McNair to Colbert. But that's not necessarily going to be the case, Waitsman said.
"We have asked our administration in collaboration with our demographer to come back with some additional information and some additional scenarios that we could consider at that workshop" in January, Waitsman said.
Waitsman also said it's clear that whatever the board decides, it will be "disruptive" to at least some families.
"The good news is we're opening a beautiful new facility in a great location where there is a lot of growth and exciting things happening," she said, referring to Colbert Middle School.
Colbert is being built on Rupple Road. The board decided in April to name the school after Superintendent John L Colbert, who is retiring next summer.
Colbert Middle School will be 99,998 square feet and have a capacity of 804 students, according to the district. Both McNair and Holt middle schools have capacities of 692 students.
This is the second rezoning effort the School Board has undertaken this year. The board in August adopted new elementary attendance zones that will take effect next school year. That was done in response to population growth and several schools nearing capacity.
The elementary zoning change will shift some students from Holcomb Elementary to Asbell Elementary and Owl Creek schools, some students from Happy Hollow Elementary to Washington Elementary and some students from Asbell to Butterfield Elementary.