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Parent warns board against repeated boundary changes as rezoning plan discussed
Summary
A Garwood parent urged the board to seek long‑term boundary solutions; staff and trustees said growth on the prairie is driving capacity issues and outlined walking‑zone protections and grandfathering options in proposed changes affecting Garwood, Twin Lakes and John Brown elementaries.
During the public comment period, Mary Kemp (speaker 5), a Garwood parent, told the board the district must prioritize stable long‑term rezoning plans and transparency, saying repeated boundary changes have caused stress and instability for families and that moving walking‑distance families to schools more than five miles away would be discouraging.
Staff and trustees explained that most growth is concentrated in the Garwood area and that options under consideration include preserving a 1.5‑mile walking zone, grandfathering certain students into new grade bands, and modest adjustments to move students to underutilized campuses such as Twin Lakes. Assistant Superintendent Jake Massey (speaker 11) said the rezoning subsection targeted areas adjacent to Twin Lakes to create cleaner bus routes and better utilization across elementary schools.
Trustees repeatedly urged more public engagement and recommended targeted workshops and transportation analysis before final decisions. Trustees and staff emphasized that new housing patterns make enrollment projections uncertain and that building a new school would reduce the need for repeated rezones but requires capital and time.
Next steps: staff will continue outreach, update capacity spreadsheets and return with more detailed maps and transportation analysis for board and public review.
