The Lewis-Palmer School District has finalized new residential boundaries in preparation for the addition of a second high school, and made some changes in elementary school boundaries in response to growth and crowding. Palmer Ridge High School is set to open next year.
High School Boundary Set: At its meeting Thursday night, the Board of Education approved the secondary school boundary plan that had been presented in earlier community meetings as "The Orange Plan" (see map). It divides the district into northeast and southwest sections to determine secondary school attendance when the district opens Palmer Ridge High School in the fall of 2008. The new boundaries were chosen because they offer the best balance for student populations, transportation resources, and a geographic split based on neighborhoods and major roads. The Board chose this from among several scenarios presented by a committee representing a variety of community members. Public meetings and online questionnaires were also used to gather input and recommendations on the proposed changes.
The new high school boundaries will mean changes for some middle school students. About 57 students in South Woodmoor and in the neighborhood between South Woodmoor and I-25 will change attendance areas, and be assigned to Creekside Middle School. About 136 middle schoolers in the King's Deer neighborhood will be moved to Lewis-Palmer Middle School. These changes will also align middle school attendance with high school boundaries, keeping classmates together. The new boundaries also promise balanced student numbers at both high schools in the future.
New Grade School Boundaries: Combined with the new high school borders, elementary school boundaries were re-drawn to better balance attendance numbers and make room for anticipated student population increases. The grade school changes specifically affect about 30 students from the Pine Hills subdivision who are now at Grace Best Elementary, plus the planned Misty Acres residential development area east of I-25 and south of County Line Road. Those GBES students will move to Palmer Lake Elementary, and future students moving into the new Misty Acres area are planned to attend Palmer Lake Elementary.
School Superintendent Ray Blanch explained, "Grace Best is at near-capacity attendance levels now, with more immediate growth anticipated. Meanwhile, Palmer Lake Elementary has room for more students and fairly little growth predicted." The new boundaries will allow educational resources to be used more effectively and prevent overcrowding in classrooms. Blanch continued, "Based on growth predictions, the District is planning for two additional elementary schools, but not for several years. So those future facilities cannot relieve the immediate population growth issues the District is experiencing right now."
Implementation Planning Next Week
: The implementation plan for the boundary modifications will be discussed at a special Board work session April 26 th. That process will confirm the dates and specific details for the change. Items to be considered in the implementation plan include the changeover date, open enrollment, transportation, and other issues.
Affected families will be notified personally
: Once the implementation plan is adopted, letters will go out to all directly impacted families explaining the details. Letters will be mailed to current addresses on record with the School District. Families should be sure that their address information is up to date, and correctly indicates where students are living. District Auxiliary Services Director Hal Garland may be contacted for map information at 481-4712. Maps are also posted at
www.lewispalmer.org.
Decisions included community input: The new boundaries were set only after substantial community input via meetings and Internet, and the District is making every effort to be responsive to the suggestions and requests made by the public during this process.