Bend-La Pine school boundary meetings set
The Bend-La Pine Schools’ Boundary Advisory Committee, charged with helping redraw the attendance areas for district schools, is hosting a series of public information sessions at local schools next week.
The community is invited to attend the sessions to meet committee members, learn about the process, understand the challenges involved and offer input.
“We welcome community members to these informal open house-style events,” said Chief Operations and Financial Officer Brad Henry. “We hope the public will walk away understanding the process and feeling confident that their input is valued.”
The public information sessions will take place 5 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in the gym at Cascade Middle School, Oct. 29 in the library at Jewell Elementary School and Oct. 30 in the library at Ponderosa Elementary School.
The sessions will consist of four stations – one introductory, one middle school, one elementary and one closing – which will each be manned by committee members, who will provide information, answer questions and collect feedback.
More public sessions will take place as additional information becomes available. The 30-member committee, with 19 community members and 11 school staff, is slated to make boundary recommendations to Superintendent Ron Wilkinson by February.
Boundaries are being redrawn because of the addition of two new schools, which will open in fall 2015. The process is also designed to balance enrollment at area schools as 11 of 14 elementary schools and three of four middle schools in Bend are at or over capacity.
Community members seeking more information about the process can visit a new boundary related web page at www.bend.k12.or.us/boundary2014. It includes upcoming events, FAQ, maps, a list of committee members and more.
