The board voted 7-0 to approve a staff recommendation to alter boundaries for Cedar Valley, Chisholm Trail, Deerpark, Grisham and Walsh middle schools and carve out a new boundary for the future Pearson Ranch Middle School, which will open in August.
The changes will take effect during the 2017-18 school year.
Middle school students entering eighth grade in 2017-18 will be grandfathered and remain at their current schools, according to the board’s decision.
RRISD's boundary changes, which were first presented to trustees in September, drew heated opposition from parents during trustee meetings and public forums during the past couple of months.District staff said the changes were necessary to make room for the new middle school and relieve overcrowding in other schools.
A contingent of parents from the Ranch and Brushy Creek subdivision in Cedar Park told trustees Thursday they were unhappy with a final update made to the boundary changes last week that moved their neighborhood out of the new boundary created for Pearson Ranch Middle School and into the boundary for Cedar Valley Middle School.
The change splits Pasty Sommer Elementary School in RRISD's feeder pattern, meaning the school's student body will move on to two different middle schools based on students' home addresses
Parents who commented to trustees also questioned why RRISD staff chose to make changes late into the process—including after a final recommendation was made to the board in October.
"It seems like at the umpteenth hour things were changed on us last week,” said Kristyne Bollier, a Cedar Park City Council member who lives in the Ranch at Brushy Creek and has children attending RRISD schools.
Trustees acknowledged the changes will upset some parents.
"I understand how emotional this is, but being a trustee we have to remove the emotion and trust the demographer and make decisions for all students," trustee Pauline Law said.
Pearson Ranch Middle School will draw students from Anderson Mill, Elsa England, Forest North, Patsy Sommer and Purple Sage elementary schools.
The new middle school will have an enrollment of about 800 students during the 2017-18 school year with room to grow to about 150 students in the next five years. The school’s capacity is 1,131 students, according to RRISD.
The approved changes allow Pearson Ranch Middle School to manage future increases in enrollment, said Bob Cervi, RRISD's chief operating officer. The changes also help relieve overcrowding in Cedar Valley, Chisholm Trail and Walsh middle schools, he said.
Pearson Ranch Middle School is scheduled to open in time for the 2017-18 school year on Pearson Ranch Road next to Elsa England Elementary School and RRISD’s Transportation West Center. The middle school is located next to the site of RRISD High School No. 6.
