By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Parents of elementary school students will learn more about the planned reconfiguration of the four elementary schools for the 2018-19 school year at a special information session Tuesday night, Oct. 24.
The information session, which is being arranged by East Windsor Regional School District officials, begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in the auditorium at Hightstown High School.
“Our plan for the meeting is to provide a summary, reminding parents of the rationale and process that led to the reconfiguration decision, and then look forward by describing the grades K-2 and grades 3-5 learning environments we are seeking to create,” said Richard Katz, the superintendent of schools.
“We will discuss the transition teams and the work needed to facilitate the change, and share opportunities for parent input,” Katz said. He added that a second meeting will be held in the spring to present progress and more specifics as the transition gets closer.
In recent years, school district officials had become increasingly concerned about the imbalance of enrollment in the four elementary schools – ranging from 465 students at the Ethel McKnight Elementary School to 715 students at the Perry L. Drew Elementary School this year.
After studying the issue, it was decided that in lieu of redrawing the lines that determine where a student would attend elementary school, the district would reconfigure the four schools – starting in the 2018-19 school year.
What this means is that instead of four schools that accommodate students in grades K-5, the schools will be divided into pairs of grades K-2 and grades 3-5 schools. It will “even out” the number of students enrolled in each of the four schools.
Students who are enrolled in grades K-2 at the Ethel McKnight Elementary School will attend the Perry L. Drew Elementary School in grades 3-5, according to school district officials.
Likewise, students in grades K-2 at the Walter C. Black Elementary School will attend the Grace N. Rogers Elementary School in grades 3-5. There is room at that school for pre-kindergarten students, also.
There will be no re-drawing of lines – or redistricting – for each school, as there had been six years ago. Every child who would have attended each of those respective schools will continue to do so, school district officials said.
