An estimated total of 149 students – of the city schools’ total K-6 enrollment of 3,300 – will be moved to new schools prior to the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The redistricting plan, which was unanimously approved by the school board, includes the transfer of some students from Mayfield Elementary to Creekview Elementary or Miller Ridge Elementary, said district officials.
Moreover, Central Academy will relocate to the Highview Elementary building and Early Learning Center (ELC) classrooms will move into the current Central Academy building, with any overflow moving to Rosa Parks Elementary.
Of the four redistricting proposals considered by district officials, they said Plan 4 involved the fewest building reassignments, said Middletown Schools Superintendent Deborah Houser.
“The recommendation approved by the board is rooted in your feedback and boundary planning criteria,” said Houser.
“It builds upon Option 4, the most favored option during our public feedback process. This option affects the fewest number of students, minimizing disruption to education and social environments.”
Middletown Schools officials recently released a listing of hundreds of comments on the plans to re-shuffle building grade levels and attendance zones for the district’s six elementary school buildings schedule to start in August.
It’s the first major redistricting the public city schools have undergone since 2011.
The district has a total enrollment of 5,900 students.
During Monday’s school board meeting, Houser and members said the new redistricting plan could see some relatively smaller adjustments in the coming months as the attendance, personnel, program and transportation logistics are worked out for next school year.
The redistricting was created to: “Modernize the elementary experience for our K-6 students,” Houser told the board prior to their vote.
“We wanted to assure three goals, a strong sense of community, students attending their neighborhood schools and optimal utilization of district resources and facilities,” she said.
“This (plan) also takes into consideration the feedback we’ve received from the public.”
Overall, the changes allow more student stability, said Houser, who added, “all the way around it is a win-win for everyone.”
School board president Chris Urso said, “I want to extend an appreciation for the (public and staff) feedback … and we are trying our best to accommodate as many of the majority voices as possible.”
“We wanted to reduce (grade) transitions and not add to them,” said Urso.
“And as a board – and as an administrative team – I know fiscally we are trying to be mindful of using our taxpayers’ dollars to the best of our abilities and I know this is a huge cost-savings for our district without reducing the services and opportunities for our young people.”
More information on the redistricting plan is available at the Middletown Schools’ website.
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