The Plymouth School Board held a special meeting this week to present their plans for the redistricting of Plymouth Elementary Schools starting next year and to hear public comments and concerns.
Over the last few years, officials say Plymouth school systems have run in to many issues when bussing students outside of their school districts. Students are having to endure up to 90 minute bus rides one way and are losing classroom instruction time either at the beginning or end of the day. With the cost of transportation steadily rising and having to face continuous bus driver staffing shortages, McKibben Demographics was sought to help alleviate these problems.
McKibben Demographics developed two plans and a committee took what they liked best from the two plans and presented a third plan.
Redistricting will give students at the four elementary schools an equal opportunity for education. It will open doors for all schools to become STEM certified, and will give more pre-school opportunities. It will help to set a planned, consistent curriculum that will be shared among all four schools.
There will be several changes starting next year as phase one is enacted. Buses will only transport within the school district. If you send your child to a school outside of your district or have childcare outside of the district, you will be expected to provide transportation. First-time families will not have a choice of a school outside of their district. An older sibling must already be attending the school outside of district in order for the younger sibling to be enrolled. Blended families must choose between one parent’s address and transportation will only be provided within said district.
Jefferson Elementary will more than likely face lower enrollment than the other schools due to the redistricting. If this occurs, students attending schools outside of their districts will more than likely default to Jefferson to help balance the schools.
Discussions are now ongoing with the City of Plymouth to develop more sidewalks, crosswalks, and lights for safety.
Parents and citizens in the community voiced their concerns as there are a lot of children who already go to school out of school district and the adjustment in arrangements to get their children to school.
Superintendent Mitch Mawhorter commented that the first step will occur next year, but as things work or do not work, the corporation reserves the right to make changes.
