Fuentes Created Newest Proposal for Redistricting Maps

By Amber Lester Saturday, March 27, 2010

The next redistricting map for Williamsburg-James City County elementary schools will be based on a math model created by school board member Joe Fuentes.

At a redistricting work session Thursday night, the board reviewed three options Fuentes drafted to meet its three criteria: proximity, capacity and socioeconomic diversity. Using the most recent map, the result of a Feb. 9 work session, Fuentes attempted to address the remaining problems: too many students at Rawls Byrd Elementary, too few students at J. Blaine Blayton Elementary and a free and reduced lunch percentage that was too high at Rawls Byrd. All three options are available to download here.

To create the options, Fuentes focused on neighborhoods primarily along News Road and the Longhill area. In each scenario, he included how many students in those neighborhoods would be affected, along with how the criteria would change and what problems would still remain. The numbers used reflect the current enrollment, but do not include projections of students in potential growth areas.

The board agreed to work with Option 1a, which Fuentes called the “minimal movement” option. In that option, 163 students from Williamsburg West, Nottinghamshire, Powhatan Secondary II, Jesters Lane, Thompson Lane, Graylin Woods, Hickory Sign Post, Fieldcrest, Deer Run, Hunters Creek and Adams Hunt would change schools.

The first option, as proposed by Fuentes, would still exceed desired capacity at Matoaka, bringing the capacity to 92.50 percent. The free and reduced lunch population at Rawls Byrd would be 36.78 percent, which is also higher than the board had originally wanted. In the meeting, however, several board members said it would be impossible to find a perfect plan.

The map based on the first option will be available online to the public on Tuesday, according to Assistant Superintendent of Operations Bob Becker.

In discussion, some of the board members also expressed interest in Option 3, which would have closely followed the Feb. 9 map, except keep Greensprings Plantation at Matoaka and move Graylin Woods to Clara Byrd Baker. In that plan, 229 students from Rolling Meadows, The Mews, Thompson Lane, Springhill, Lafayette Square, Lafayette Woods, Greensprings Plantation and Graylin Woods would have changed schools.

If the board had gone with option 3, Rawls Byrd, Clara Byrd Baker and Matoaka would all be over capacity, while J. Blaine Blayton and DJ Montague would be under capacity. The free and reduced lunch population at Rawls Byrd would also still be higher than the board had wanted, at 37.10 percent.

Option 2, which was dismissed, would have affected 464 students from Williamsburg West, Nottinghamshire, Rolling Meadows, The Mews, Ford Colony, Graylin Woods, Hickory Sign Post, Fieldcrest, Deer Run, Lafayette Square, Lafayette Woods, Greensprings Plantation, Thompson Lane, Springhill, Powhatan Secondary 1, Powhatan Secondary 2, Jesters Lane and New Town.

The second option would have kept Powhatan Secondary together, attending DJ Montague. The first option splits the neighborhood between Matoaka and DJ Montague.

The board will vote on the redistricting plans at 7 p.m. on April 13 at the Stryker Building in Williamsburg.

To read more about the Thursday meeting, click here.