DeKalb School District 428’s elementary boundary plans face some pushback

DeKALB – Jason Reed said he has long been proud to call himself a parent of a Jefferson Jaguar.

During public comment at Tuesday’s meeting of the DeKalb School District 428 Board, Reed said his daughter, who enters the fourth grade next year, would be prompted to change schools in the fall under the district’s proposed attendance boundaries.

Under the final draft of the plans, Reed said his daughter would no longer attend Jefferson Elementary School but is expected to enroll in classes at Mitchell Elementary School in the fall. The attendance boundary proposal was reviewed Tuesday by the DeKalb School District 428 Board.

Reed acknowledged that redrawing the attendance boundary maps is a big undertaking for the school district, but said something must give. Google Maps, he said, puts his home a tenth-of-a-mile from the boundary line.

“Google Maps also suggests that there are a dozen houses on Fox Hollow Court, south of Hillcrest Drive, which are east of my house, making them physically closer to Mitchell but they would be districted for Jefferson,” he added.

The current proposed attendance boundary maps represent the 12th iteration derived from the input of various community groups and interested parties, school board documents show.

On Jan. 9 and Jan. 13, the district hosted a pair of community conversations focused on soliciting public feedback on the proposed attendance boundary maps.

Amonaquenette Parker, the district’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, stressed the importance of neighborhood schools and their place in the district.

“We are trying to keep neighborhoods together,” Parker said.

For years, the district has maintained a need to study demographics to determine the ability to handle population growth and building capacities.

Reed urged the district to allow students, like his daughter, who currently attend Jefferson to have the option to continue.

“Jefferson has been core and key to who she is now,” Reed said. “I know that for a fact.”

Parker previously said grandfathering students into their current school is not an option.

“Change is necessary because we are adding a new school,” Parker said. “There is no way that you cannot change your attendance boundaries if you are adding a new school. We are not grandfathering in. It prolongs the process. It actually makes things wonky.”

Board member Amanda Harness asked how busing costs would be impacted by the change.

“Are we going to see an reduction in busing, an increase in busing?” Harness asked. “Because that would be expenses that might impact the district.”

Parker said the district could expect a decreased need in busing at Mitchell Elementary School.

“We know for a fact 450 students right now that would enroll in Mitchell that are currently being bused, they will no longer need to be bused,” Parker said.

That amounts to about 10 bus routes.

Parker said she’s not sure how many students in special education at the new elementary school would need a bus route.

Harness said she takes issue with the premise behind the proposed attendance boundary plan and Mitchell Elementary School.

“You’re taking kids away from kids that they play with on a very regular basis,” Harness said. “To me, it just doesn’t make sense. You guys obviously worked the numbers and you did the thing, but you’ve got all these other schools and you’re busing them across town.”

Harness said she believes the proposed attendance boundary plan fall short of its aim.

“When the whole thing about Mitchell was the no busing,” Harness said. “That was the hugest thing that was stressed is that parents, lack of abilities, and needing to have a community school. Now you’re taking two apartment buildings and moving them across town.”

Parker acknowledged Harness' concern but maintains that the district has worked hard to achieve what its set out to accomplish.

“Mitchell is still a neighborhood school,” Parker said. “There, if you look at just the mile walkable radius, it is a true neighborhood school because everyone who will attend that school – with the exception of specialized programming – will be able to walk to that school.”

The DeKalb school board intends to put the final draft of the district’s proposed attendance boundary maps to a vote at its Feb. 4 meeting.