Board approves micro-redistricting; parents urge exemptions for children with IEPs

The Pickerington Local School District Board of Education voted March 24 to amend certain school attendance areas in a micro-redistricting plan that will reassign some Tollgate families to Heritage and other buildings.

The resolution passed by roll call with Mr. Henson, Mrs. Olszewski, Mr. Lopez and Mr. Postage voting yes and Mrs. Niekamp abstaining on advice of legal counsel. During public comment, multiple parents asked the board to delay or phase redistricting for current students and to exempt students with individualized education programs (IEPs) or other special needs.

Why it matters: The changes affect which buildings children will attend next school year and, according to several parents, could create back-to-back transitions for some students who face a natural upcoming move (for example, from elementary to middle school). Parents said abrupt reassignment could harm students who rely on continuity of services or established relationships with teachers and counselors.

Parents' appeals and comments

- Matthew (Matt) Lauer, a parent whose children would be moved, told the board: “My ask for that would be to let that transition occur naturally.” He described concern that his children would face two consecutive school moves — a short-term elementary redistricting followed by the usual move to middle school — and asked whether a grandfathering or phased approach was possible.

- Jess Benson, also a parent, emphasized the impact on neurodivergent students and those with IEPs: “Reassigning where new students just entering the district will attend is completely reasonable. Asking current attendees to change their pathway is burdensome for the families. If making these changes as soon as next school year is entirely unavoidable... then I believe the district has a duty to do the least amount of harm to our most vulnerable students.”

- Mary Johnson, a parent of students at Tollgate, said Tollgate has been overcapacity and supported redistricting in principle but asked the board to phase the move so current students could remain through key transition years.

Board discussion and ruling

During the board’s discussion before the vote, trustees noted the district’s overcrowding and the timeline tied to ongoing construction and building relocations (for example, Heritage moving into Dylee’s building). Board members said they had discussed the plan in prior sessions and that the current action was the second reading of the resolution. Mrs. Niekamp expressed a conflict and abstained. Trustees confirmed that the adopted addresses would feed into the district’s plan for Ridgeview Central track alignment in later moves.

Administrative follow-up and next steps

Board minutes and the discussion record show the administration will notify impacted families; staff said they do not plan to grandfather families automatically and that the adopted addresses will be used for the Ridgeview Central track when it is operational. The board also approved MOUs with the district’s bargaining units related to Tollgate Elementary in the same meeting.

Ending: The board passed the attendance-area resolution and moved to the work session to examine the district’s fiscal forecast and levy options for 2025–2029, where administrators urged a phased and prioritized approach to any new staffing requests.