The East Greenbush Central School District Board of Education approved a rezoning plan for Bell Top, Citizen Genet and Red Mill Elementary Schools at Wednesday evening’s public meeting. The Attendance Zones Transition Plan adjusts attendance zones for the three schools to address growing enrollment in the Bell Top zone.
The changes will enable the district to maintain its class size goals, alleviate space concerns at Bell Top, maintain efficiencies of staffing levels and transportation services and provide continuity of instruction to all students.
It is important to note, the changes do not affect students who currently attend these schools or incoming students who will have siblings in these schools during the 2019-20 school year.
The rezoning plan components are:
- Students who currently attend any elementary school at any grade may continue to attend that school in 2019-2020, along with their newly enrolled siblings
- Siblings of students currently attending elementary schools may enroll in the same elementary school as the sibling in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020
- Bell Top border zone neighborhoods will be redesignated to Red Mill or Citizen Genet Elementary Schools
- For newly enrolled and registered grades K-5 students this school year (2018-2019) subsequent to Board of Education approval
- For newly enrolled grades K-5 students next school year (2019-2020)
- For students registering for and entering Kindergarten in 2019-2020
- New Attendance Zones for Red Mill
- Governors Square and 3rd Avenue Extension
- Capital Place, Rosebud Court, Third Avenue Extension between Route 4 and Rosebud Court
- Oak Hill Apartments
- Oak Hill Circle, Laura Lane, Van Alstyne Drive, Rock Cut Road
- Partridge Hill Apartments
- Valley View Boulevard
- Van Allen Apartments
- Van Allen Way, Washington Avenue Extension
- Stonegate Apartments
- Stonegate Drive, Valley View Boulevard
- Washington Avenue Cluster
- Hazel Terrace, Farley Drive, Elizabeth Street, George Street, Delaware Avenue, Illinois Avenue, Wisconsin Avenue, Indiana Avenue, Walker Avenue, Ohio Avenue, Maryland Avenue, Missouri Avenue, California Avenue, Florida Avenue, Minnesota Avenue, Iowa Avenue, Michigan Avenue, Washington Avenue Extension
- West Side Route 4 Cluster
- Bloomingrove Drive West, Dixon Road west of Route 4, Ludlow Lane
- Governors Square and 3rd Avenue Extension
- New Attendance Zones for Citizen Genet
- Best Road Cluster
- Mara Drive, Miller Road, Scythe Tree Lane, Red Oak Lane, Western View Terrace, Best Road between Route 43 and Morner Road
- East Side Route 4 Cluster
- Agway Drive, Grandview Drive, Thompson Court
- Morner Road Cluster
- Morner Road
- Dutch Acres South
- Brinker Drive South, Van Dyke Drive South, Van Tassel Drive, Van Leuven Drive South, Van Winkle Drive, Olga Lane, Forest Hills Boulevard, Salisbury Road, Route 43 between Route 4 and Salisbury Road
- Best Road Cluster
- The Center for Therapeutic Academic Excellence Program (CTAEP) will move to the Citizen Genet Elementary School in September 2019, freeing up three classrooms in Bell Top for student sections
The rezoning plan was formed by district administrators after reviewing enrollment projections in the fall of 2018, which showed continued growth in the Town of North Greenbush. In consultation with the principals and Director of Pupil Personnel Services, the Central Office Administrative team developed a preliminary plan for community review and comment. Public presentations were held on January 7 (Bell Top), January 8 (Red Mill) and January 14 (Citizen Genet). The information was also presented in draft format to the Board of Education at its public meeting on January 9.
District administrators adjusted the plan based on feedback from staff, parents and community members, and continued to evaluate kindergarten registration for the 2019-20 school year.
Additionally, a long-term study of enrollment growth throughout the district, with particular attention to attendance zones, started earlier this month.
The Board of Education’s approval of the Attendance Zones Transition Plan will temporarily alleviate some of the concerns for space at Bell Top and permit current students and their incoming siblings to remain at Bell Top for the 2019-20 school year.
“The long-term study of enrollment and residential development within our attendance zones will reveal future steps needed to accommodate growing enrollment which is projected to occur within our district in the next five years,” said Superintendent Jeff Simons. “The projections indicate we could experience an increase of more than 150 students at the Kindergarten-Grade 5 level. It is likely that further changes to the elementary attendance zones will be needed to accommodate more students and to make efficient use of available space in our five elementary schools. Every effort will be made to make attendance zone adjustments which are least disruptive to our children and families.”
More information about the rezoning plan can be found at the following resources:
- Attendance Rezoning Plan
- Attendance Zones Transition Plan (presented at the March 13 Board of Education Meeting)