Big changes could effect where Davenport students attend school. At their meeting Tuesday evening the school board discussed changing school boundaries.
Of Davenport's 17-elementary schools, 12 elementary schools could have boundary changes. Adams, Buchanan, Buffalo, Garfield, Harrison, Hayes, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, McKinley, Washington and Wilson are the elementary schools that are proposed to have boundary changes, but it is still very early in the process.
The reason for drawing new boundaries is the district wants over and under populated schools to have enrollments around 80%. Some schools have enrollments as high as a 100% and others are as low as 68%.
"We just need to balance the schools. It's not fair and it's not a good use of the buildings. Student achievement is the bottom line and when you're well balance and the staff is well balanced there's less strain," says Dr. Art Tate, Superintendent of Davenport Schools.
New boundaries are also being worked on for Davenport's 2 K-8 schools and 4 intermediate schools. All students that are currently enrolled in their school will not have to change anything. They will stay at their current school and then once they move onto new schools, they will go to where the new boundary dictates.
"We have some elementary schools that split and maybe go to one intermediate school or another," adds Dr. Tate, "What I want to do is have true feeder systems, so the elementary schools would go right to the intermediate schools and it would just a be a feeder and it wouldn't split up the students."
The school board will vote next week on exact street boundaries and releasing the proposed maps to the public. Davenport's high schools, North, Central and West will not have new boundaries.
Also at the school board meeting, the district's "Resource Allocation Committee" released recommended budget cuts for the next five years. The committee would like the district to cut $3.5-million every year starting for the 2013 school year. Proposed cuts for the next school year include: transportation, a 5% across the board cut, energy review for efficiencies, early retirements and using money from an insurance fund. Public forums on the budget will be held in January and February.
