Attendance‑zone plan: PHEAC recommends 13 preliminary boundary changes, creates Downsville Pike Elementary zone

The Washington County Public Schools Facility Enrollment Advisory Committee (PHEAC) presented 13 preliminary elementary attendance‑zone recommendations that would reassign about 1,200 kindergarten–fifth grade students and create a new Downsville Pike Elementary attendance zone.

Committee presenter Chad reviewed demographic trends, six‑year enrollment averages and planned developments the group used to evaluate 20 initial options and pare them to 13 preliminary recommendations. The plan focuses on two schools slated to close — Fountain Rock and Hickory — and on balancing capacity across nearby schools while using existing transportation routes.

Key elements: the recommendations would move about 583 students out of the Fountain Rock and Hickory attendance zones (both scheduled to close in August 2027) and reassign roughly 336 K–5 Hickory students to Lincolnshire Elementary, 287 Lincolnshire students to the new Downsville Pike facility, and about 230 Fountain Rock students to Downsville Pike, among other changes. The committee said the new Downsville Pike site is projected to open at about 91 percent of its K–5 capacity, leaving roughly 51 seats and room to absorb a potential future development if it materializes.

The committee factored in planned and conceptual housing developments — including Lakeside (approximately 189 homes, six lots remaining), the Towns at Rock Springs (about 123 townhomes, potential 40 elementary students), Elmwood Farm (195 total units, about 50 remaining) and Virginia Commons phases (phase 1 under way; phase 2 could add as many as 372 single‑family homes generating up to 160 elementary students). For each recommendation the committee reported the current and projected middle‑ and high‑school feeder impacts and noted most changes would not alter middle or high school assignments.

Transportation staff reviewed walk zones and bus routes; the committee said a small group of students currently transported under special permission could walk to Lincolnshire if redistricted and that several recommended changes improve routing efficiency by using existing bus runs (for example Cortland apartments would be split two ways instead of three). The committee also tried to minimize moving students twice during their school careers.

The committee emphasized that the recommendations are preliminary and unanimous within the committee, and that next steps include public hearings (tentatively April–May 2026), superintendent review, and a board vote. The committee recommended the board forward the draft to the superintendent for any administrative adjustments; staff said the board would likely consider a final vote no later than the June 2026 business meeting so changes could take effect for the 2027–28 school year when Fountain Rock and Hickory are scheduled to close.

Committee members and several board members urged careful monitoring of near‑term development activity — particularly Kilpatrick (Kilpatrick Woods) and Virginia Commons phase 2 — because faster‑than‑expected build‑out could require earlier or different capacity responses, such as relocatable classrooms or timing adjustments to the recommended moves. The committee also noted that Jonathan Hager Elementary may need an addition planned for 2028 and that exact timing of capital projects and state funding decisions will affect implementation choices.

The PHEAC materials and maps are posted on the district website; the committee asked the board to allow public comment before staff returns final recommendations for the board’s consideration.