information from Highline Public Schools
The community-led committee charged with recommending school boundary changes will incorporate suggestions from the community into a second draft of their plan—and also consider an alternative plan submitted during the month and a half of public feedback.
Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) members met April 25 to discuss feedback from 10 community meetings, more than 600 survey comments, and several alternative boundary maps and school feeder patterns suggested by community members.
Three hours later, these community volunteers raised 15 thumbs in the air, without hesitation, to add additional meeting time to their calendars. CFAC members expressed unanimous commitment to see this process through and recommend the best possible boundary plan to the school board in June.
They asked Chief Technology Officer Mark Finstrom to adjust the draft CFAC boundary maps prior to their next meeting to include as many community suggestions as possible. They also selected a revised version of one of the districtwide boundary maps submitted by a group of community members calling themselves ABC4Highline to move forward in the review process.
Alternative Maps Considered
Committee members considered the following alternative maps submitted by:
· ABC4Highline
· Erik Claflin (a parent and teacher)
· Yvonne Bush (a parent and bus driver)
Members eliminated the Claflin and Bush maps as not workable with student enrollment projections, but made note of the ideas they liked.
They retained the ABC map as a viable option, with some potential adjustments. Members noted pros and cons of the ABC map (the group’s second version.)
Next Steps
· Committee members will provide further comments and direction about changes, and a revised CFAC boundary map will be drawn in time for the next CFAC meeting on May 9. This allows more time for members to process the survey feedback and data on change areas.
· Committee members requested demographic data on draft boundary plans to help them rate how well each final draft meets the group's guiding principles:
o Ensure equity
o Forecast for future needs
o Value cohorts & community connections
o Plan for safety
Read the full definitions of the guiding principles.
Next Committee Meetings
· May 9, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Central Office boardroom
· May 23, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Central Office boardroom
The public is welcome to attend and observe.
Stay up to date on bond construction projects and boundary changes at highlineschools.org/KeepingOurPromise.
Sign up for eNewsletters about construction and boundary progress and district news at: highlineschools.org/eNewsletter.
