Draft middle-school rezoning: heat maps, town halls and MSAP grant questions set February timeline
Summary
District staff previewed a draft comprehensive middle-school rezoning plan and attendance-boundary committee findings; board members were told heat maps and zoning radius options (10-40%) will be presented in February, with town halls scheduled for April. Members also requested MSAP grant-extension details and remaining fund amounts before rezoning votes.
Polk County Schools staff used the Jan. 27 work session to walk the board through draft plans for a comprehensive middle-school rezoning intended to improve utilization, respond to growth and reduce portable-classroom reliance. Staff removed maps from the packet to avoid presenting premature boundary lines but presented data tables showing zoned students versus enrolled students and utilization with and without portables.
Staff told the board they would provide heat maps in February showing overlapping radius options (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%) that the board can use to determine how much enrollment should come from immediate adjacent areas. Terry Coney, chair of the Attendance Boundary Committee, summarized the outreach plan: surveys, a PR campaign, town halls across April (dates provided), and a final staff report in June after additional analysis.
Several board members asked for additional details before panels or town halls. Board Member White pressed for specifics about MSAP grant extensions and the remaining funds for each magnet school; staff agreed to provide the remaining grant balances and rationale for any no-cost extensions. Other questions focused on how rezoning will reduce portable classroom counts; staff said rezoning could address about 70% of the target reduction but additional capital decisions (enrollment caps or permanent wings) would be needed to eliminate portables entirely.
The district will publish heat maps and then return with draft boundary maps derived from the selected radius and community input. Staff stressed the phased nature of implementation: utilization shifts will happen over several years as current students advance through grades and magnet/choice factors continue to influence actual enrollments.
