Board of Education could vote on zone changes December 17
Source: Las Cruces Public Schools
By Kelly Jameson
November 26, 2024
An additional town hall-style meeting has been added to the Las Cruces Public Schools redistricting effort, in advance of a possible vote by the LCPS Board of Education on Dec. 17.
The district launched its redistricting plan in August, a move to balance student populations for the next school year. A total of three public input meetings were scheduled to gather feedback on the plan, and Tuesday the district announced another virtual meeting opportunity to be held on Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m. Parents and staff are invited to join the virtual meeting using this link.
The proposed changes coincide with the opening of the new Columbia Elementary School and are designed to balance school populations and overcrowding in the district’s East Mesa schools. Redistricting could also help bolster enrollment at Mayfield High School. Any change to attendance zones requires the approval of the LCPS Board of Education.
Last week, LCPS launched a public survey to gather community input on the plan. The survey, available in English and Spanish, is available using this link through Dec. 10. An extra meeting was added to ensure stakeholders had another opportunity to learn about the options before completing the survey.
The district hosted the first town hall meeting at Organ Mountain High School on Nov. 14 and a second at Mayfield High School on Nov. 20. LCPS Superintendent Ignacio Ruiz will host a third meeting in Spanish on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the Dr. Karen M. Trujillo Administration Complex, 505 S. Main Street in Las Cruces.
The redistricting plan has been spearheaded by Sherley O’Brien, the district’s Chief of Student Services and Community Relations. In August, O’Brien organized a group of community volunteers to serve on the Redistricting Advisory Committee. The group represents students, parents and teachers from all four LCPS feeder patterns and also includes school board members and district administrators. Updates to the community have been communicated by the district using the Redistricting Advisory Committee’s website on the district’s homepage.
The process of redistricting is outlined in Policy JCAA, which gives the Board of Education authority to alter geographic attendance zones based on the opening of new schools or shifts in population.
Any permanent school zone changes could be voted on by the LCPS Board of Education at their regular meeting on Dec. 17, 2024. According to O’Brien, feedback from the Redistricting Advisory Committee, input gathered at the town hall meetings and survey data will be presented to the board at that time.
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