From CSD this morning.  I’ve added links to the map options in the email below.

Dear Parents, Neighbors and Staff,

On behalf of the K-3 Attendance Zones Committee and the City Schools of Decatur, we would like to thank you for all of the input and feedback provided to the committee as we work through the process of developing draft map options for school attendance zones for the 2014-2015 school year. In preparation for the re-opening of Westchester, the K-3 Attendance Zones Committee selected three draft map options to present to the Board of Education for consideration for the upcoming school board meeting on Tuesday, November 12, 2013. No decision will be made by the Board of Education on November 12, 2013. The Superintendent has recommended that the Board tables their decision until the next regularly scheduled Board meeting on December 10, to give time for contemplation as well as another Public Community Meeting.

The Committee’s recommended maps, in order, are as follows:

#1    Draft Map 7-updated

#2    Draft Map 5

#3    Draft Map 6

We have launched a survey so that you can give feedback on your preference of the three draft maps the committee recommends. Please go to the K-3 Zoning webpage to view the maps and select your choice http://www.csdecatur.net/zoning. The survey results will be shared with the Board on December 10.

Please continue to provide your feedback and comments through .  We continue to read each email sent to the contact_us comment box.

We hope that you will join us for our second Public Community Meeting that will be held in the next several weeks. You will have an opportunity to provide public comment and feedback during this meeting. We will publicize this event so please be looking out for this information. All comments and feedback are shared with the Board of Education. Thank you again for your continued input in this process.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kiawana Kennedy, Chief Operating Officer

Mary Mack, Elementary Curriculum Director

Tom Sayre, Sizemore Group

K-3 Attendance Zones Committee

CSD sent out this letter from the Superintendent last night…

Dear Parents, Teachers, Neighbors and Staff,

I am looking forward to welcoming the students, teachers and staff, and families to the reopening of  Westchester Elementary next Fall 2014.  We have been planning for the reopening of Westchester for two years.  I know that Westchester Elementary will be just as warm and welcoming a community as our other K-3 Expeditionary Learning Schools.  However, there are many steps to take before this can happen.  

K-3 Rezoning Committee

Our K-3 Rezoning Committee is in the midst of some very intense and difficult work.  In order to reopen Westchester, some Decatur families will be rezoned to attend Westchester.  In keeping with our City Schools of Decatur commitment to community and parent input and our System Charter Status, we have asked members from the School Leadership Teams, staff and administrators from schools, and neighborhood community representatives to assist in this very important work.  Each of our K-3 schools and ECLC has 2-4 members on the K-3 Rezoning Committee.  Some neighborhood associations, such as the Westchester Neighborhood Association, also have a representative serving as a committee member.

There have been three committee meetings to date including a community input session which drew approximately 150 people.  Twenty-eight people spoke as the committee listened as well as two Board of Education Members, one future Board Member, two Board candidates and me.   The comments were respectful and relevant.  Comments to date, both in person and through emails, have been captured and shared with the committee and will be shared with the Board.

The committee will meet again on Monday, November 4^th at 6:00 PM, additional maps have been developed based on the comments heard.  The new “draft” maps will be posted on the website byMonday, if not sooner. It is my hope that we can come to some consensus on the most viable maps to present to the School Board at the November 12^th Board of Education meeting.