Rochester School Board Considers Attendance Boundary Shifts

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Rochester School Board is expected to vote tonight on a plan to adjust some school attendance boundaries to ease overcrowding at several elementary sites in the city.

The recommendation would shift a few dozen students from Elton Hills and Gage Elementary Schools to Hoover/Churchill elementary school attendance area, while a smaller number of students would be shifted from Ben Franklin to Pinewood and Riverside Elementary Schools. The plan does not impact current middle and high school attendance boundaries. If approved, the changes will take effect at the start of the next school year.

The recommendation was developed as a short-term fix by members of the School District’s Facilities Task Force, which was formed earlier this year to develop plans for addressing growing enrollment with the expectation that voters in the Rochester School District could be asked next year to approve a school bond issue referendum to fund the construction of at least one new school.