On Thursday November 6, the Pocopson redistricting committee kicked off Phase 1 of the Redistricting Project.   The Advisory Committee, meeting for the first time, spent 90 minutes reviewing the committee’s role, the reasons for embarking on the study, and the project timeline.  Greg Lindner and I participated by phone, representing the School Board.  Representatives from each elementary school were present, including parents, teachers, and/or principals.

McKissick and Associates were on hand to explain in detail the approach to developing a robust and comprehensive statistical model to project enrollment at Pocopson (and the other three elementary schools) using existing boundaries.   (McKissick’s overview of the plan is on the UCFSD web site here).  While the model will project enrollment out for up to 20 years, the focus of the administration is on the projection for the next six years.

The committee discussed the importance of maintaining open and forthright communication with all members of the community, throughout the project.  One parent asked the question, “What should I say if other parents ask me questions about the project?”  The answer:  “Tell them everything you know.”   That is definitely the approach of the administration and the Board — everything we do on this project will be out in the open and discussed with the broader community before any decisions are taken.

The list of advisory committee members will be published shortly on the UCFSD home page, in the redistricting study area (top left of home page).

As I have said in previous posts, I fully support this study, and we should keep in mind that there may not even be a need to redraw the boundaries.   If there is, we will know that in mid-December when McKissick completes the enrollment model and Phase 1 of the project.

Please contact me directly if you would like more information, have questions, or would like to let me know your own point of view.