Farmington board approves 2026-27 attendance boundary changes after committee recommendation
Summary
The Farmington School Board approved attendance boundary changes for the 2026-27 school year after a presentation by district staff and a committee. The plan maintains walking zones, aims to keep building capacity near 85%, grants legacy status to current 4th and 7th graders, and sets Jan. 15 as the in-district transfer deadline.
The Farmington School Board voted to approve a district-wide attendance boundary realignment that will take effect for the 2026–27 school year following a presentation from district staff and the community advisory committee.
District presenters said the committeeframed recommendations around a set of guiding principles: maintain walking zones where possible, minimize additional transportation costs, and balance enrollments so building utilization stays near or below an 85% target. The administrationpresentation explained the rationale behind shifting some neighborhoods to different schools and emphasized the committeeprocess that led to the recommendation.
Dan Miller, who presented the committeework with Director Houska, said the district had not conducted a comprehensive boundary realignment in many years and described the changes as an attempt to correct what he called a 'Swiss cheese' effect in the current map. He also summarized operational elements families will need to know: letters to impacted families will start Dec. 12; kindergarten registration opens Dec. 17; the deadline for priority in-district transfer and legacy-status requests is Jan. 15, and families will receive transfer notifications by Feb. 6. Miller said that current 4th- and 7th-grade students would be offered legacy statusto remain at their current building with transportation eligibility subject to route capacity.
Administration described the in-district transfer process and prioritization. Special education transfers are handled separately based on student needs; other transfer requests will be randomized in a lottery process with priority tiers (legacy students first, then siblings and district employees, then the general pool), consistent with the MDE guidance cited by the administration.
Board members raised concerns about the speed of the timeline and the level of community engagement, with several members saying families felt the process occurred quickly and asking for better communications. The chair told the board the boundary work had been on the boardradar for months and urged stronger communication rather than further delay.
A motion to approve the boundary changes as presentedwas moved and seconded and passed by voice vote. The transcript records affirmative responses but does not record an exact numerical tally.
Whatchanges and who is affected: According to the presentation, most changes focus on elementary and middle school feeder patterns (maintaining current feeder structures where possible), returning in-district transfer students to their boundary schools unless they reapply, and giving priority (legacy) status only to current fourth- and seventh-grade students. The district said impacted families will be notified in December and given options that include tours and IEP transition meetings; final transportation availability for legacy students will not be confirmed until August when routes are set.
Next steps: Families who wish to request in-district transfer or legacy status must apply by Jan. 15; the district expects to issue notifications by Feb. 6. Board members asked staff to report back in the future with metrics on how many families applied for and were approved for legacy status to inform future decisions.
Sources: Presentation and Q&A with Dan Miller and Director Houska; board discussion and voice vote to approve the changes.
