Bend-LaPine Schools release boundary proposals
It’s been three years since Bend-La Pine Schools have had to adjust their boundary lines. With Central Oregon’s growth, and two new schools being built, it’s time for a new round of adjustments.
The school district has released three different boundary line proposals and is holding three meetings for you to voice your concerns.
“The good news is that we are building two new schools,” Jay Mathisen, assistant superintendent for human resources, said Tuesday.
Two new schools include: an elementary school in southeast Bend, and a middle school on the west side.
“The challenge any time you build new schools is, you need to draw lines to determine which students and neighborhoods will be the attenders,” Mathisen said.
The two new schools are being built for a reason.
Bend’s rapid growth has left some schools at maximum capacity. Others have little room to pick up the slack.
“Wherever the new schools are going, that’s where the most change will be,” Mathisen said.
The area with the biggest proposed change surrounds the new elementary school in southeast Bend.
Three drastically different new options can be seen in the proposals; from big, to medium, to small.
Changes were drawn up by a community committee of 30, broken into three work groups of 10.
With the same data, they came up with three different options.
“We heard, we listened, we did some thinking,” Mathisen said.
Other changes are minor, mainly involving the Juniper District and whether it will stress to the West of Third Street.
Currently, it does not.
Now the three options are out for your opinion.
“We really wanted this to be an authentic community process,” Mathisen said.
If you want to speak up about these changes, you can attend one of the next two meetings:
Elk Meadow Elementary School, Wed., 5:00pm-6:30pm
Pilot Butte Middle School, Thurs., 5:00pm-6:30pm
Or visit www.bend.k12.or.us/boundary2014 to complete a short survey and to see maps of the proposals.
The school district will take in all input and go back to make adjustments to their options.
If necessary, they will release three new proposals in January.
