SPS holds fourth meeting on new school boundaries

Tacoma

“Why are we here tonight? We’re here tonight to understand these draft boundary changes and get feedback, ”said Mark Anderson, assistant superintendent of Spokane Public School.

SPS held a two-hour meeting Monday night that walked parents and students through their goal of building three new middle schools in three years and why.

Here is our breakdown for you.

Why is SPS reorganizing the school boundaries at all?

“This is one reason we’re changing the boundaries to make smaller class sizes the right size of our schools for enough space. The second reason is that we’re gradually growing in terms of the Spokane student population,” said Anderson.

SPS added that Spokane is one of the hottest housing markets right now … and that is reflected in our school system.

How are these limits set next?

The SPS Committee for Boundary Studies used these main guidelines when working on the current boundary model.

They look at things like communication and process, diversity, legacy, neighborhoods, school quality, and transportation to find the most suitable option for everyone.

“Communication and process aren’t more important than diversity or legacy or neighborhood, they’re just part of the fit. It should be recognized that some things will conflict with each other. If your neighborhood isn’t diverse, your school won’t be diverse, especially if we keep kids as close as possible to their neighborhood, ”said Harium Martin-Morris, school district advisor.

That brings us to a popular question according to Spokane Public Schools:

“Can we use the boundary adjustment process to try to balance or offset the free and reduced lunch status in our schools?” Asked Phil Crocker, another school district advisor.

It seems the answer is yes, but some people may be further from their schools

“We tried several ways to redraw and draw order to keep families close to their schools in the neighborhood. To balance and reduce the outdoors, it was the best way to do it, and transportation and proximity to schools were the clear losers in that balance. ”

The Boundary Study Committee will hold a public hearing on June 2nd.

If you have any questions, you can send an email to [email protected].