This committee will determine boundaries ahead of Ferndell Henry Elementary School opening this fall as well as work on long-term district planning to rezone under- and over-utilized campuses, said Beth Martinez, FBISD’s deputy superintendent chief of staff, at the Jan. 29 board meeting.
“[Ferndell Henry] is definitely the first part we're going to be engaging around with our School Boundary Advisory Committee but not because we are not cognizant of the need for the long-range districtwide planning, and engaging with that [is] our very next step,” she said.
The context
The Ferndell Henry project was initially approved for $20.4 million as part of the district’s May 2023 bond but was later adjusted for $22.8 million, Community Impact previously reported. At the Jan. 29 board meeting, trustees approved the use of $2.3 million in contingency funds for furnishings that weren’t included in the initial budget.
Building Ferndell Henry will accommodate overcapacity at neighboring Heritage Rose Elementary School, which is at 112% capacity with about 138 students above the campus capacity, trustee David Hamilton said at the Jan. 13 agenda review board meeting.
Meanwhile, on the north side of the district, Harvest Green Elementary School was eliminated from the 2023 bond plan following funding shortfalls. The school was meant to accommodate Neil and Patterson Elementary Schools, which are expected to exceed 120% capacity in the next four years, Community Impact reported.
However, several other schools are projected to be at less than 80% capacity, opening up the potential to alleviate overcrowding through rezoning, Stacey Tapera, president of demographic firm Population and Survey Analysts said during an Oct. 7 meeting.
How it happened
Starting in fall 2023, individuals interested in participating in the School Boundary Advisory Committee were asked to apply through the district’s online platform, which is used across the district’s engagement opportunities, Martinez said.
In September, the board approved 36 committee members, an elementary representative, secondary representative and alternate for each of the 12 feeder patterns, Martinez said.
In November, the board approved demographic firm Zonda to assist in long-range boundary planning services until 2029, according to district documents. Zonda staff will assist with drawing the boundaries, while PASA staff will provide enrollment projections, Martinez said.
After solidifying boundaries for Ferndell Henry in March, the district will begin meeting with Zonda and the advisory committee in April to rezone the entire district, Martinez said.
“Our goal is not to bring you a boundary that then in a year would have to be changed when we go through that deep study [of districtwide zoning],” she said. “It is to bring something that can sustain through that change. It makes sense to make changes that would be a more districtwide perspective.”
The timeline
In the coming weeks, the advisory committee will have workshops and collect public feedback on the Ferndell Henry boundary before presenting a final recommendation to the board.
Martinez said the timeline is as follows:
- Feb. 3: PASA will present the 2024 demographic study at the board workshop
- Feb. 5: SBAC will host a workshop to form Ferndell Henry’s boundary
- Week of Feb. 18: Zonda will present proposed Ferndell Henry boundary at board meeting
- Feb. 26-March 5: The public can provide virtual feedback
- March 19: SBAC will meet to discuss feedback
- March 27: Trustees will consider final boundary recommendation
- April 7: Staff will provide a districtwide boundary review meeting at the board meeting
Applicants who indicated their interest in being placed on the waiting list for the advisory committee will be considered for new vacancies that occurred after some alternates filled member positions, Martinez said.
Staff will present the board with new members for approval in early February, she said.
