The Georgetown ISD board of trustees finalized new attendance zones in preparation of two new elementary schools planned to open in the fall Feb. 18.

Pickett, Carver and Mitchell elementary schools as well as Wagner Middle School students will see attendance rezoning beginning in the 2020-21 school year.

Brian Hallmark, assistant superintendent of operations and school leadership, said the district took into consideration campus capacity, growing areas in the city, and minimal impact on students and families when developing the new boundary lines. It also plans to offer grandfathering options for students.

Hallmark said the district, which had about 12,000 students in the 2019-20 school year, anticipates a growth of more than 2,300 students over the next five years, a gain of about 19%.

“[The rezoning] sets us up great to the [20]24-25 school year,” Hallmark said.


Elementary school changes

All Pickett students will move to Wolf Ranch Elementary School in the fall. The Wolf Ranch zone will be expanded to include everything south of the North San Gabriel River and west of I-35. Impacted neighborhoods include Mayfield Ranch.

The Carver boundary lines will shrink to relieve overcrowding. Students who live west of I-35 will move to Wolf Ranch attendance zone. Students living in the Pinnacle neighborhood will be rezoned from Carver to Williams Elementary School.

The Mitchell zone will also shrink to where some students will move to Williams Elementary School. The main changes will be to the southern and eastern parts of the current attendance zone. The southern boundary will become Sam Houston Boulevard to Patriot Way, and the eastern boundary will become SH 130. All neighborhoods south and east of the boundary will attend the new Williams. The impacted neighborhood includes Fairhaven.


All other schools will not experience any changes, officials said.

Middle school changes

Students of Wagner can expect the most changes where the portion of the Wagner attendance zone south and west of Rabbit Hill Road will go to Tippit Middle School. Reversely, Tippit will gain the students in the Wagner zone east of I-35 and west of Rabbit Hill Road.

All other schools will not experience any changes, officials said.


Grandfathering


Hallmark said the district has the capacity to allow current affected fourth-graders to remain at their school through fifth grade, but there is not enough capacity to allow siblings to stay as well. Students who elect to remain at their current campus must provide their own transportation, he added.

He also said students in specialty courses such as dual language can remain at their current campus until they graduate out, finding that it is best if these specific cohorts to remain together. Those students will be provided transportation, he added.

IN OTHER BUSINESS:

  • In a 2018 bond update, David Biesheuvel, GISD executive director of construction and development, said the Georgetown High School baseball stadium renovation was complete and ready to host games.

  • GISD plans to host two True Accountability Summits at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27 and March 2 to allow for community feedback on its plan for district and school accountability moving forward. The summits will be held at the Hammerlun Center for Leadership and Learning, 507 E. University Ave., Georgetown. For more information visit www.georgetownisd.org/trueaccountability.

  • The board approved the maximum price for the athletic wing of Tippit Middle School. The board voted to include three additional projects in the renovation but even so will remain under the estimated budget for the project, Biesheuvel said. The maximum price was approved at $5,436,419 with a $150,000 contingency, which will be returned to the district if unused, Biesheuvel said. The project will include a renovation of the locker rooms and coach’s office, replacement of bleachers, building of an additional weight room, conversion to LED lights in the gym and construction of a team room in the girls locker room similar to what is in the current boys locker room, Biesheuvel said. Funding for the project comes from the voter-approved 2018 bond and will be completed by Braun and Butler Construction.

  • The board approved the maximum price of renovations of 16 East View High School classrooms at $1,431,420 with a $100,000 contingency, which will be returned to the district if unused, Biesheuvel said. The renovation will remove interior walls and replace them with moveable glass partitions that will allow for flexible learning as well as create a flexible collaboration space for students, Biesheuvel said. Funding for the project comes from the voter-approved 2018 bond and will be completed by Braun and Butler Construction.