Rochester School Boundary Changes Expected Next Year
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Parents with children enrolled in the Rochester Public Schools are being given notice that school attendance boundaries will likely shift next fall.
A school district committee appointed to study the district’s space needs is considering whether Rochester voters should be asked to approve the construction of a new elementary and middle school to alleviate overcrowding in some of the city’s schools, but Superintendent Michael Munoz says the panel is also looking at recommending school boundary changes to provide temporary relief to six schools in northwest Rochester that are significantly over capacity.
Munoz says the space needs committee is expected to present a school attendance boundary change plan for the 2019-2020 school year to the school board in early October. He says that should provide families adequate time to review and comment on the recommendations before a final decision is made. Munoz says the presentation will also occur shortly before the parent’s of next year’s kindergarteners undergo their introduction to the school system, which will allow them to consider the information while making their plans.
Munoz knows it’s an emotionally charged issue, “When I started my superintendent program, one of things they said was, there are three things that superintendents really don’t want to do. One is referendums, another is boundaries, and the other is closing schools.”
Earlier this year, proposals to modify attendance boundaries this fall to benefit those schools were met with strong opposition from the affected families. After repeated attempts to limit the impact of the changes, the school board decided to shelve the discussions and leave the existing boundaries in place for the 2018-2019 school year.