Two community meetings are set for November 5 and December 3 to address the redistricting process for two new schools in Roswell. 

One of the schools (“Highway 9 Elementary School”) is already constructed at the intersection of Highway 9 and Thomas Drive in Roswell and is serving as the temporary location of Esther Jackson Elementary. In August 2016, the Highway 9 school will re-open with a new identity (official name TBD) to the students in its newly developed attendance zone. The newly rebuilt Esther Jackson Elementary School also will open on its original Martin Road site with a new student body.

About the redistricting process
Each time a redistricting effort is under way, the school system holds a series of meetings to gather information needed to draft a redistricting proposal that best meets the community’s needs. Unlike other school systems, Fulton uses a process that encourages public discussion before developing a proposal. This allows the community to have maximum input in how the proposed attendance lines are created. 

Meetings are planned for: 

Round One – November 5, 7-9 p.m. at Esther Jackson Elementary School (Highway 9 ES Site)

• Staff presents alternative proposals that were developed with established criteria and community input from the redistricting meetings held in fall 2014.
• Community members comment on strengths and weaknesses of each plan in facilitated small-group discussions.
• Prior to the next community forum, staff condenses the number of attendance zone alternatives based on public input.

Round Two – December 3, 7-9 p.m. at Esther Jackson Elementary School (Highway 9 ES Site)

• Community members review and provide input on revised attendance zone alternatives in facilitated small-group discussions.
• Staff uses comments to develop final attendance zone options for Board consideration.

To maximize input, parents and community members also can participate online through the redistricting website (http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/ops/plan/Pages/Redistricting.aspx) once it goes live on November 5.

Criteria used for developing redistricting proposal
During the meetings, community members will review the school board’s redistricting criteria and can comment on residential development, traffic, previous redistricting, special programs and other issues relevant to the criteria used for redrawing attendance lines.

Primary Criteria

• Geographic Proximity – Distance traveled using available routes of transportation.
• Instructional Capacity – Number of students who can be accommodated at the school, taking into account the number of classrooms and resource rooms needed for art, music, labs, English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), special education and Talented and Gifted (TAG) programs.
• Projected Enrollment – Number of students assigned to a school, taking into account the future projected enrollment. 

Secondary Criteria

When primary criteria indicate more than one option, options are evaluated on the basis of:

• Traffic Patterns – Factors impacting accessibility of the school from all portions of the attendance zone, including travel time, traffic flow in the area, safe operation of school buses and other safety considerations.
• Previous Rezoning – The school system seeks to avoid rezoning neighborhoods more than once during a three-year period if facility sizes and geographic distribution of student populations.
• Special Programs – Special programs are those serving children with special needs that require use of additional space over and above a regular classroom. Where possible, the school system avoids setting attendance zones that would place a disproportionate number of special programs at a schools.
• School Feeder Alignment – Where possible, consideration is given to the alignment of elementary, middle and high school attendance boundaries. 

The Fulton County Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the new attendance zones in February 2016. Changes in elementary school attendance zones will go into effect in August 2016.