Saturday, October 24, 2009

Report from the October 22nd Special Meeting of the Amherst School Committee

The Redistricting Subcommittee reviewed the redistricting process and maps with the Amherst School Committee. A slide presentation and handouts were provided. This information is available on the ARPS website at the following link: http://www.arps.org/node/1039 (Click on "Redistricting presentation10-22-09.pdf" to download the maps.) After the presentation School Committee members commented and asked questions, followed by one hour of public comment.

Two new maps were presented: Rendition 5 and Rendition 6. Rendition 5 has children living in South Amherst apartment complexes divided between Wildwood and Fort River, resulting in a % FRL (free/reduced lunch) range of 1%. Rendition 6 has all these children attending Fort River, resulting in a % FRL range of 6%. See the chart below.

All 6 maps are presently under consideration for the School Committee Redistricting vote next Tuesday (Oct. 27). Any thoughts or questions regarding the last two renditions of the redistricting maps, or any of the other versions, can be directed to the School Committee at
schoolcommittee@arps.org.

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Redistricting Map: Rendition 5

School                # Students            %FRL*             % Struggling
Crocker Farm           330                     35.5%                22.1%
Fort River                 437                     34.8%                21.7%
Wildwood                 476                     34.7%                22.3%


Redistricting Map: Rendition 6

School                  # Students           %FRL            % Struggling
Crocker Farm             336                   36.3%                22.9%
Fort River                   460                   37.4%                21.3%
Wildwood                   447                   31.5%                22.1%

*Free/Reduced Lunch