Elementary School Boundary Realignment

High School Boundary Realignment Proposal — Basic Q & A

1. Why is the district proposing to change high school boundaries now?

This boundary realignment is necessary primarily because of increasing disparity in total enrollment between Dubuque Senior High School and Hempstead High School. This enrollment disparity has been growing over recent years as housing growth has mushroomed on the west side of our community.

2. Beyond balancing total enrollment numbers, what are the goals the district is hoping to accomplish through this boundary realignment?

· Distribute the appropriate number of students in grades 9-12.

· Distribute approximately the same relative composition of students at Hempstead and Senior in terms of percentage of free/reduced lunch-qualified students, students entitled to special education services, and racial minority students.

· Improve “vertical alignment” of elementary/middle/high school boundaries.

· Maintain neighborhood “walk zones.”

· Avoid any appearance of “gerrymandering.”

· Establish reasonable timeline/process for implementation.

3. To what extent have in-district or inter-district open enrollments affected the current enrollment imbalance?

The following table shows the number of students approved to attend either Senior or Hempstead under an approved in-district open enrollment.

	Grade 9	Grade 10	Grade 11	Grade 12
Hempstead at Dubuque Senior	20	4	10	16
Dubuque Senior at Hempstead	17	12	28	41

The state allows a parent to request open enrollment from one district to another. As long as an application is filed by March 1 of the year preceding the enrollment,approval is to be granted.

	Grade 9	Grade 10	Grade 11	Grade 12
Out-of-district at Dubuque Senior	1	1	0	1
Dubuque Senior to out-of-district	5	5	4	3
Out-of-district at Hempstead	4	1	3	4
Hempstead to out-of-district	3	4	6	7

4. How would enrollment and demographics change under this proposal?

School	2007-2008 Boundaries					Proposed Boundaries
	Total	% Minority	% Black	% Low SES	% IEP	Total	% Minority	% Black	% Low SES	% IEP
Hempstead	1,824	4.28%	1.64%	22.15%	13.25%	1,597	6.80%	3.50%	29.30%	TBD
Dubuque Senior	1,416	10.52%	6.64%	41.10%	17.33%	1,631	7.30%	4.20%	31.40%	TBD

*Low SES = % of students qualifying for free- or reduced-price lunch.

5. How would this proposal align middle school and high school boundaries?

Under this proposal, 100% of Washington students would attend Dubuque Senior and 100% of Jefferson students would attend Hempstead. Of the current 7^th and 8^th grade Roosevelt students, 50.06% would attend Hempstead and 49.94% would attend Dubuque Senior. This should assist in communication as well as curriculum and activity coordination.

6. Changing schools can be stressful for families and students. How often does the district make boundary changes?

We do understand, appreciate, and encourage the connections which families make with the schools their children and young adults attend. Therefore, we do not change boundaries frequently or for less than significant reasons. The last time high school boundaries were redrawn was in 1984! The primary issue being addressed at that time was overcrowding at Senior High. No further modifications to high school boundaries have been made since that time.

7. If high school enrollment continues to grow, will the district be building yet another school in the near future and therefore propose another boundary realignment?

The Board has no plans at this time for building another high school in the near future. We recognize that numerous housing developments are under construction or in the planning stages at various locations throughout the district. Through this proposal, we have tried to preserve room for enrollment growth at both Senior and Hempstead. At some time in the future, we may need to consider smaller expansion projects at our high schools in order to allow facilities to function more effectively with larger numbers of students. However, the likely construction cost for a new high school of approximately 1,000 students is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $60 million. Furthermore, our budget could not support the cost of staffing a new facility in the near future.

8. Will students who have been attending one school for several years be allowed to stay at that school next year?

The proposal currently under consideration requires attendance at the assigned high school beginning in the fall, 2009. The proposal allows “early enrollment” for a student who wishes to voluntarily enroll a year early (during the 2008-09 school year) at the school to which he/she will be assigned. The proposal continues to offer the opportunity to apply for open enrollment under the provisions of the In-District Open Enrollment policy as it exists. Approval is based upon enrollment balance, so no student is guaranteed approval.

9. Will students changing schools have the opportunity to register for the same courses or have similar activity choices?

Curriculum offerings are essentially the same at Hempstead and Dubuque Senior; staff members collaborate in developing course descriptions and core textbooks selection. Both schools have Honors level and Advanced Placement courses.Special education support is provided for entitled students. Graduation requirements are identical. Similar activities are available for student participation. For specific questions relating to courses and programming, contact the school.

10. Who created this proposal and how can I give my input to the proposal? Is it already a “done deal”?

The proposal under consideration was developed by district staff, involving primarily the superintendent, Manager of Transportation, and principals from Hempstead and Dubuque Senior, using sophisticated software which employs global positioning. This software allowed us to identify every residence within the district and, as we considered various boundary configurations, determine not only how many students would be affected, but know numbers by grade level, gender, ethnicity, and eligibility for free/reduced lunch and transportation. The proposal will not be acted upon by the Board until April 14, at the earliest, following a formal Public Hearing, as required by law. Any parent or other community member will be able to comment on the proposal during information/input meetings to be held at 6:30 p.m. on the following dates:

January 31 Hempstead High School Auditorium

February 7 Dubuque Senior High School Auditorium

February 21 Forum (2300 Chaney Road) Board Room

March 3 Forum Board Room

11. How will I know if the district makes modifications to the proposal between now and the time the Board acts to approve the plan in April?

We will post information regarding any modifications to this proposal on the district’s website www.dubuque.k12.ia.us as well as provide press releases to the media. For any significant modification, we will mail letters to affected families informing them of those changes. If major changes are made to the publicized proposal, we will add another opportunity for public information and input in late March or early April, before the April 14 Public Hearing.

12. How can I get additional information?

Attend one of the information/input meetings. Check out the district’s website. Call your local school office or the superintendent’s office at 552-3012.