Olentangy schools released its attendance boundaries for the 2018-2019 academic year that would affect 2,106 students.
The district Superintendent Mark Raiff’s final decision Tuesday came after the Attendance Boundaries Committee had six meetings and three community forums since October. Raiff will give a presentation of the final version at an Olentangy Board of Education meeting Thursday night.
Following the passage of a 6.9 mill ballot issue in March last year to build Berlin High School, the district sought to balance enrollment at all 23 buildings and prepare to open the fourth high school in fall 2018.
“The next necessary step, redistricting, has weighed heavily on my mind,” Raiff said in a video message to the district.
“Change is necessary to allow us to meet the needs of all Olentangy students and I’m proud that we can do that here because we are one Olentangy,” he said.
The final boundaries would affect 714 students each in elementary and high school and 678 students in middle school. All middle schools and high schools would be affected, but Alum Creek, Johnnycake Corners, Oak Creek, Olentangy Meadows and Walnut Creek elementary schools are unchanged.
During the forums, the committee presented scenarios A and B. The former would have affected 3,859 students, while the latter would have impacted 3,770 students. Both scenarios would have affected Alum Creek Elementary School. Raiff said he selected Scenario B with some modifications.
“Students in the class of 2020 that attend Liberty High School and Orange High School and who have been assigned to attend Olentangy High School beginning in the 2018-19 school year may elect to stay at their current school for their junior and senior years without any impact to athletic participation,” he added. “However, these students will not be provided transportation should they choose to remain at their existing high school.”
In other business, the school board will consider whether to lease the former Modern Medical building, 7840 Graphics Way, in Lewis Center, for its administrative offices. The offices’ space at Shanahan Middle School would be used to increase preschool capacity because of rapid growth.
The meeting will take place at Olentangy Administrative Office, 814 Shanahan Road, 6 p.m. in the board’s conference room.
