District unveils rezoning Draft 1, plans public posting and seven town halls

District rezoning staff presented Draft 1 of proposed school boundary changes at the Georgetown ISD Nov. 4 workshop, describing a multi‑month community engagement plan and preliminary maps that would open a new elementary (referred to in materials as Elementary 12) and shift attendance zones to relieve capacity pressures at several campuses.

Landon Kaufman, who led the presentation, said staff will post the draft maps publicly the week after the workshop and open an opportunity for comment. “Public posting that, with your permission, will be next week,” he told trustees. Staff also described seven town halls scheduled between November and January, an online survey and a community committee composed of one representative from each campus that will review drafts.

Staff reported the district received 22,121 survey responses and said top caregiver priorities reported in the survey are campus safety, proximity to home and support for transitions (orientation, transportation and peer transition programs). The presentation cautioned that the rezoning maps in Draft 1 are based on today’s students and short‑term projected growth, and staff described the numerical forecasts as useful approximations rather than exact predictions.

Draft 1 shows the new elementary zone drawing students principally from eastern portions of existing Williams and Cooper zones and would reduce enrollment pressure at Williams, Wolf Ranch and other campuses while increasing enrollment at Cross. Staff noted specific neighborhood moves (for example, a multifamily area west of Wolf Ranch that would shift to Frost) and warned that active development near the planned Parkside site will raise future student counts beyond today’s numbers.

Trustees raised equity and demographic questions, including concern about a proposed new school with a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced‑price lunch. Staff said district planners are examining grandfathering options so students who recently were moved will have transfer or continuity choices, and they promised follow‑up analysis and multiple draft iterations in response to community input.

Staff previewed a separate middle‑school package that rebalances students among Knoll, Tippett, Forbes and Wagner and explained effects on feeder patterns to the district’s high schools. Kaufman said zoning committee meetings, online feedback and town halls will continue and that staff will share committee and public feedback with trustees as drafts evolve.