District Narrows Boundary Change Options

More than 200 people joined San Ramon Valley school district trustees Tuesday night for a discussion on redrawing the boundaries that determine which school a child attends.

A plan to move some Coyote Creek Elementary School student to Golden View Elementary to make room for new students in the fast-growing Dougherty Valley won't go forward, San Ramon Valley Unified School District trustees decided at this week's regular Board of Education meeting.

That leaves three other options.

One cuts enrollment at Golden View to make room for students from overcrowded Dougherty Valley schools and possibly leave room for a future Mandarin Chinese immersion magnet program. This option would allow Coyote Creek families to stay where they are instead of transferring to a school more than a mile away.

The second scenario would allow Golden View families in a neighborhood just south of Camino Ramon and east of Blackhawk Road to transfer, depending on availability, to Creekside or Sycamore Valley elementary schools in Danville.

The third choice introduced Tuesday gives some Golden View families the option of transferring to Sycamore Valley, and Sycamore Valley students the option of attending Creekside in Danville if space is available.

This was the second public hearing on the proposed elementary-school boundary changes, which stirred up impassioned debate at a study session a week ago. The hearing was held at Sycamore Valley Elementary School in Danville instead of at the district board room to accommodate the large crowd.

An unexpected spike of 1,000 students this summer left the 29,000-student district scrambling to even out enrollment in Dougherty Valley, San Ramon and Danville schools.

This was the third year in a row that the district increased by 1,000 students. Given the trend, trustees are trying to come up with the best way to accommodate future growth, especially with the burgeoning student population in the master-planned Dougherty Valley area.

Diverting students from a crowded campus to a less crowded school is only a quick fix for a long-term problem, said district staff. Something needs to be done now, but this will be an ongoing issue for several years, agreed school board President Rachel Hurd.

Superintendent Steven Enoch said it's tough to come up with a final decision because what's important in education is different for every family.

"If this was just a fact-based decision, at the end, it would be an easier decision," he said. "But this is values-based, and many of those values conflict."

Some families may value "neighborhood schools" they can walk to from home, while others may place more importance on choosing a campus based on other factors, even if it's outside established town or school boundaries. One family may insist on small schools, while their neighbors may appreciate the culture of a larger student population and class size.

"We can't make everybody happy," said trustee Greg Marvel.

No decision on the boundary changes was made Tuesday night. It was up for discussion only.

Enoch urged trustees to bring back the issue as an action item, so they could pick a short-term solution to ease overcrowding and move on to the bigger issue of how to deal with long-term enrollment growth.

Also on the agenda

Trustees OK'd a contract to give teachers at three elementary schools an additional 45 minutes of prep time by hiring three classroom aides, thanks to $600,000 in  federal stimulus funds from President Obama's American Jobs Creation Act passed over the summer.

The district will buy several portable classrooms it leases from the state to make room for more classes. The portables were originally leased to house students until new classrooms were built under Measure A – a $260 million bond passed by San Ramon Valley voters in 2002 to ease overcrowding at its schools. But with budget problems, those plans have been delayed. And with uncertaintly about future enrollment growth, the district said it's premature to build permanent buildings.

Instead, the district will spend $578,000, funded by developer fees, to buy 11 portable classrooms at four campuses. Another $240,000 will go toward purchasing four daycare portables at four elementary schools.

Trustees also agreed to spend $174,000 for three portables to be converted into teen centers for San Ramon, which agreed to reimburse the school district for the cost.