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Task Force Narrows Field of School Boundary Maps: Roseville District Panel Postpones Forum to Mull Three Remaining Proposals

Posted on: Thursday, 4 May 2006, 12:04 CDT

By Kim Minugh, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

May 4--Next week's forum about Roseville-area high school boundary changes has been delayed as committee members continue to mull new maps for the district.

The Roseville Joint Union High School District attendance boundary committee will conduct a regular meeting Tuesday to try to build consensus around one plan that it can present to the community in a public forum later this month.

Boundary changes are needed to balance enrollment in the district once Antelope High School opens in fall 2008. The two main areas of concern are Roseville High School, which is expected to balloon in population over time, and Oakmont High School, predicted to shrink considerably in enrollment.

Three maps, or scenarios, are being considered by the committee. Members began a meeting last week by looking at six scenarios, but eventually voted to eliminate three because they would not adequately balance the student population, nor affect many students.

The district board of trustees has asked that boundary changes cause "minimal disruption." The three remaining scenarios - numbers 3, 5 and 6 - would affect 988, 1,037 and 1,001 students, respectively.

Deputy Superintendent Rich Strickland said he would consider any other ideas brought forth by parents but that district officials had exhausted most, if not all, options.

"I don't know of any other significantly different solution," he told the committee at last week's meeting.

Under Scenario 3, three schools would exceed their capacity by 2011, the first year Antelope High will be operating with all four grade levels. At that point, Antelope, built for 1,600 students, would have a projected enrollment of 1,632. Roseville High and Woodcreek High, both built for 2,300, would have 2,322 and 2,363 students, respectively.

Granite Bay and Oakmont high schools, also both built for 2,300, would have 1,931 and 1,743 enrolled, respectively.

Scenario 5 is a similar map but has three major differences: First, a chunk of land bordered by Foothills Boulevard, Baseline Road, Cook Riolo Road and the Placer-Sacramento county line would be transferred from Woodcreek to Oakmont.

Also, district officials have created two option areas where Roseville High students would have the choice to attend Oakmont. Officials hope the students would choose Oakmont; however, they have included those students in Roseville's enrollment projections.

Scenario 6 has two notable characteristics. First, students from the Highland Park area - and the entire Highway 65 corridor - would continue attending Roseville. Also, the West Roseville Specific Plan area would be transferred to Antelope High School - creating two separate geographic pools of students feeding into that school and violating the committee's goal of creating contiguous school boundaries.

In addition, Scenario 6 includes the most varied enrollment figures. By 2011, Antelope High would grow to 2,054, the highest figure for that school in all the scenarios. Oakmont would have 1,515 students, the least of all the scenarios and Roseville would hold 2,340 students, the highest figure in all the plans.

That plan is most favored by Highland Park residents, a group that has been most vocal at previous committee and board meetings at which the boundary changes have been discussed.

They say they do not want their children attending Oakmont because it is too far away.

"It makes it very difficult for a child to participaTe and contribute to their school when distance is a factor," said resident Lisa Hansen.

She also said the same rule applies for parents.

"You know how important it is for parents to be involved in schools," Hansen said.

Some parents raised the issue of safety and how much time their children will spend on the road en route to school.

"We are concerned, as parents, No. 1, about the safety of our children," said resident Edward Gutierrez.

After nearly 2 1/2 hours of discussion, Strickland suggested postponing next week's public forum so the committee could continue focusing in on one solution. A public forum is scheduled for May 23, at which point committee members hope they will have a specific plan for the community to consider.

They still expect to have a recommendation ready for the June 6 meeting of the board of trustees.

MEETING A meeting of the Roseville Joint Union High School District attendance boundary committee will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Oakmont High School, 1710 Cirby Way, Roseville. For more information about the boundary change process, go to www.rjuhsd.k12.ca.us/boundaries/boundarymain.html

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

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Source: The Sacramento Bee

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