Redistricting and Facilities Utilization

The FPS Board of Education heard public comment and discussed the revised redistricting charge to consultants at the January 10 Board meeting. The updated 2023 Charge to Consultant document was brought before the Board for further discussion and voted on during the January 24 special meeting. Per the revised charge, enrollment consultants SLAM, will work to provide redistricting scenarios to address facility utilization. The resulting scenarios will then be presented to Board members for discussion at an upcoming meeting expected in the spring. The plan is to approve and act upon a redistricting plan by the end of October 2023 for implementation in the 2024-25 school year.

Redistricting will be effective as of the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.

Feeder patterns are the flow of schools that a student will attend as they progress through their education. Elementary schools feed to middle schools which feed to high schools.

The redistricting process will take place in public at Board of Education meetings. Once the BOE adopts a plan, new maps and further information will be posted on the website and shared at BOE meetings. These meetings can be viewed on FairTV and are also recorded for future viewing.

There will be no option for your child to opt out.

This decision has not yet been made, but will be discussed during public meetings.

School bus transportation will continue to follow the adopted BOE guidelines.

No decisions or finalized plans have been made regarding possibly closing a school.  However, a school closure is a possibility based on student population projections, school capacity and the cost impact of facility upgrades or potential replacement. The Board will discuss the possibility and whether the district can operate with 10 or 11 elementary schools.

For additional information about facility plans, please view the most recent Waterfall Plan.

By law, school systems in Connecticut are expected to maintain a minority balance at all schools which closely mirrors the minority balance of the school district as a whole. McKinley was first identified as racially imbalanced by the Connecticut Board of Education in 2007. The school district has consistently worked to comply with state regulations through submitted and approved plans. For specific details on state compliance requirements, visit our Racial Imbalance Plan page.

While the district’s immediate racial balance concerns are focused at the elementary level, the effort to promote greater racial balance and equity could impact the district’s secondary schools. This will include equity training, school climate improvement and adjustments to K-12 feeder patterns.