CSISD School growth projections - High School Rezoning is coming

19,889 Views | 171 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by Oogway
BigBubba
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG


At this months board workshop meeting they talked about school capacities and growth projections. The above link is to the meeting and that part of the meeting starts at the 54:40 mark in the video. Below is my summary.

Elementary Schools
A couple schools are over capacity, Pebble Creek is under capacity, the 10th Elementary(River Bend) will open in August 2019 and schools will be rezoned then. Here are the projected numbers for elementary schools without River Bend:


Intermediate/Middle Schools
No issues, plenty of room




High Schools (a.k.a The elephant in the room)
The high schools are an issue. CSHS is projected to grow to way over current capacity while AMCHS stays plenty under capacity. On these charts, green means they are under 85% capacity and yellow means over 110% capacity.


Watching the video while they discussed the High Schools was interesting. You can tell there is definitely an "elephant in the room". They all know they are going to have to rezone the high schools again but they don't want to say that. I imagine they are hoping this issue magically goes away because they still remember all the hate email they got the last time.

But, the reality is rezoning of the high schools is going to happen. When one school is way under capacity and the other is way over, the solution is simple. While there are plans to expand CSHS one day, it makes no sense to talk about issuing bonds to expand CSHS while AMCHS is still under 85% capacity.

I think the only question that needs answered is "who will get rezoned"?
SoTheySay
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
Probably should have been done differently the first time. I also don't understand the push for people so desperate to stay at CSHS - I personally believe being over capacity is a detriment to a child's education.
chigger
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
While I can understand the driving/distance complaint, AMCHS is a great school. We've been very happy with it so far. I don't know why anyone would have a problem with their kid going there.
Stupe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
Quote:

Probably should have been done differently the first time. I also don't understand the push for people so desperate to stay at CSHS - I personally believe being over capacity is a detriment to a child's education.
The majority of parents want their kids to stay at the school that they started at and it doesn't matter which high school it is.

I don't understand why this is such a difficult fact to understand.
Stupe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
chigger said:

While I can understand the driving/distance complaint, AMCHS is a great school. We've been very happy with it so far. I don't know why anyone would have a problem with their kid going there.
No educated parent would have a problem with their kid going to either high school.
chigger
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Well yes, I would too honestly. I do think that is important to kids, though it's not as bad in practice in the cases I've witnessed. I think rezoning changes should start with incoming 9th graders to minimize that.
Stupe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
SoTheySay said:

Probably should have been done differently the first time.
Yep. It was a very short sighted plan.
Stupe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
chigger said:

Well yes, I would too honestly. I do think that is important to kids, though it's not as bad in practice in the cases I've witnessed. I think rezoning changes should start with incoming 9th graders to minimize that.
It is for kids in extracurricular activities.

I will give the committees and school board credit on the last rezoning for on thing. They pulled their heads out long enough to change the grandfathering from 10th grade to 9th grade.
BigBubba
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I am really curious what area is going to get rezoned. I highly doubt they are going to rezone anything north of Graham road because those areas are zoned to CSHS to balance out the social economic percentages.

Just guessing, I imagine there are 3 general options they could consider:
  • Move Nantucket / Indian Lakes to AMCHS
  • Go south along Wellborn rd and move everything west of it to AMCHS
  • Move the current Graham road line south maybe to Eagle Ave.

Moving the line from Graham to Eagle would probably give them the most bang for the buck and be the least disruptive.
TAMU1990
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Not enough kids going to HS just moving one street down to Eagle or Nantucket/Indian Lakes. They want 200 kids into Consol by 2019 and a continued growth stream. That probably means freshmen and sophomores. That means wellborn.
TAMU1990
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Consol is currently around 1685 - those numbers in the table are the uil snapshot numbers. And I bet CSHS is currently over 2000.
w8liftr
How long do you want to ignore this user?
They can rezone all they want. People can and, as we've seen, do move to get their kids into a certain school. Unless their going to restrict these moves within the district, they need to find a way to better market Consol to parents and realtors.
Stupe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
Quote:

Not enough kids going to HS just moving one street down to Eagle or Nantucket/Indian Lakes. They want 200 kids into Consol by 2019 and a continued growth stream. That probably means freshmen and sophomores. That means wellborn.

High School Zones

How many kids live in that island of yellow that drive past Consol or the area down Wellborn road north of 2818 that drive past Consol?

PS3D
How long do you want to ignore this user?
New Development list says CSHS is already getting portables.
Oogway
How long do you want to ignore this user?
They pretty much stated that was the plan at the workshop/meeting. Any implementation of boundaries , building etc was going to wait until 2019 at the earliest the way I understood it.
AggieMom_38
How long do you want to ignore this user?
A couple thoughts... although I continue to disagree that bonding should be off the table - there is a strong $ argument to do it sooner rather than wait and it seems strange to not expand a school (CSHS) where the growth is in our city (and that was the realization years ago) to it's intended capacity particularly when the facilities/halls and the like are built for that larger capacity, I sense the board will take a more reactive and perhaps short-sighted approach and just move around numbers (I.e., kids) yet again. But I would truly hope that this time they just do it logically so that it doesn't have to occur each year (just rip off that band aide). I think a prior poster noted that to deal with this capacity issue, it needs to be a high-capacity area or a growing/large swath of houses. Focusing on a street here and there or a neighborhood with a few dozen kids is just painful for all and doesn't actually address the capacity issues. And lets please not create some strange traffic pattern where families are driving all over the place and crossing each other (traffic in this town has gotten tough enough). Shooting straight down Wellborn to AMCHS would be so easy (and will be convenient for the new elementary attendees too as much of the Green Prairie group will likely be going to that new elem given GP capacity issues).
Stupe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
Quote:

Shooting straight down Wellborn to AMCHS would be so easy
And make even more families drive right by a high school in order to attend another high school.
AggieMom_38
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I don't fully follow that conclusion. Those on westside/off wellborn don't drive by CSHS (or all that near it) to get to AMCHS. I'm guessing CSHS is a bit closer, but it's pretty easy to get to AMCHS. But I also think about the grouping of schools. If I'm zoned for/have kids at the new elementary (or even GP right now), it's pretty straightforward (probably more desirable) to go to AMCHS than CSHS logistically.

I do agree with the comment about the yellow island - I think that was you. But my sense is that's a SES-related thing.

On the other hand, I continue to believe they should build out CSHS as intended/planned (and stop ignoring what is happening to our city growth-wise)
jac4
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Personally, I will only be happy if Aggie Mom's kids are zoned to Consol.
BigBubba
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
AggieMom_38 said:

A couple thoughts... although I continue to disagree that bonding should be off the table - there is a strong $ argument to do it sooner rather than wait and it seems strange to not expand a school (CSHS) where the growth is in our city (and that was the realization years ago) to it's intended capacity particularly when the facilities/halls and the like are built for that larger capacity, I sense the board will take a more reactive and perhaps short-sighted approach and just move around numbers (I.e., kids) yet again.
Bond is not off the table, they are just talking about delaying it for a couple of years. They discuss the bond ramifications in the video if you want to watch. I personally will not vote for a bond to expand CSHS when AMCHS is only at 70% of its capacity.

The other benefit to rezoning is it keeps the schools at a similar size. I do not want to have one mega campus and the other school be moderate size. Let's keep them comparable in size. I would like them to be in the same district. If we don't rezone then CSHS is going to end up 6A and AMCHS will still be small 5A.

Here is a comparison of the projected enrollments with and without rezoning. If they rezone 200 kids then they can put off expanding CSHS for two additional years and it will keep both schools at a similar size for the next 10 years.



birdman
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Any thought of bonds or using existing funds to expand CSHS while AMCHS is well under capacity is beyond asinine.
Oogway
How long do you want to ignore this user?
The parents that I know that deal with that crazy traffic light at the RR crossing at Wellborn/GP would probably debate the ease of travel point you make but I do agree that carving up little sections here and there doesn't work very well*.I don't know how many clusters of students there are west of Wellborn. The board wouldn't be looking at today's HS students for population demographics rather I'm guessing it would be current intermediate maybe?

*edit to add-yes, I know that Southgate neighborhood is a sliver.
InMyOpinion
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Lottery system

EOT
Stupe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
It's EOT if you're looking for ridiculous solutions.
TAMU1990
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Stupe said:

Quote:

Not enough kids going to HS just moving one street down to Eagle or Nantucket/Indian Lakes. They want 200 kids into Consol by 2019 and a continued growth stream. That probably means freshmen and sophomores. That means wellborn.

High School Zones

How many kids live in that island of yellow that drive past Consol or the area down Wellborn road north of 2818 that drive past Consol?


Until you can solve the problem of A&M student housing 1) overtaking low income housing and 2) more student rentals in older neighborhoods by the university this problem will not correct itself. Consol is losing student population in town.

This isn't Houston/Dallas/Austin. The traffic around CS is easy with the heaviest around the university. We live in a small town with minor commutes and congestion in comparison. Consol is what - 2 miles north of CSHS? Most people in the district are not in the outer fringes of the county. In addition, what is the expected impact of the charter school over the next 5-10 years? I expect it will slow the building of campuses in the near future.

The most conservative path is to rezone and utilize the assets that tax payers already have on the ground. It will push the construction bond out, allow the district a chance to see what housing patterns in town are doing, and understand the impact the charter school will do the district. There will be more bond opportunities to hike our taxes - the ones talked about at the board meeting only have to do with CSHS expansion and a possible 3rd HS near 2030. We have bond votes quite frequently. Maybe they will build another HS and close Consol because no one wants to drive to it? Is that really the argument?
CS78
How long do you want to ignore this user?
There's a very simple solution to the problem. AMCHS is a great school. Why not allow the students that live right there fill some of those empty seats? How many families must we jerk around and how much money must be wasted just to satisfy the need for equal demographics. As has been said, the problem will only get worse. At what point is enough, enough?
Stupe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
All that and still didn't answer the question.
TAMU1990
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yes I did.

If I had to guess? 100 kids? But that yellow is where CSHS gets most of its 22% low income. If we did what you suggested (kids going to the school they live closest too) there would be a school in town at ~75% low SES and much smaller than 1685. CSHS would be even bigger with all of the kids SE feeding in with less than 10% low income. Before PC became small It had upwards of 650-700 students. Most that are currently in jr high and HS now.

So how do we fix that? You just don't like the answer because it's not as simple as you can go to the school you are closest to.
Stupe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
No, you didn't.
My question was very simple: How many kids live in those two areas and the answer to that required a number....whether it be specific or general. Your previous post had just about everything but that.

Your second post did...for that one area, but not the area north of 2818 on Wellborn Road.

Quote:

So how do we fix that? You just don't like the answer because it's not as simple as you can go to the school you are closest to.
I've never said that.

I've said that I'm against making them travel farther in order to make the demographics look good on paper.
Oogway
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Stupe- essentially that area (north of 2818) would be a few streets with houses and then some multi family complexes including some that are mostly student oriented plus Southgate Village. Southgate has 200 units. I don't think each unit would necessarily have a k-12 student but some units may have several students. So, uneducated guess, maybe ~50? 9-12. I don't know?

I do remember being at the meeting where some (not all) parents along with school officials stated that having the high schoolers from that area partner with younger siblings at Forest Ridge helped improve attendance. That was many years ago though. Maybe parents who live there today feel the same, maybe they don't.
Vulcan
How long do you want to ignore this user?
CSISD should just ASK if anyone would like to go to Consol...I bet they could get 200 kids by just putting out the welcome mat.
txgardengirl
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Transfers are allowed for students. It's a pretty open policy if you request to move.

Unfortunately if you've played UIL sports, there are more hurdles to clear
TAMU1990
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Stupe said:

No, you didn't.
My question was very simple: How many kids live in those two areas and the answer to that required a number....whether it be specific or general. Your previous post had just about everything but that.

Your second post did...for that one area, but not the area north of 2818 on Wellborn Road.

Quote:

So how do we fix that? You just don't like the answer because it's not as simple as you can go to the school you are closest to.
I've never said that.

I've said that I'm against making them travel farther in order to make the demographics look good on paper.

Which is the same as attend the school you live closest to. How can you justify the differences in demographics and underutilization of campuses that we would see if students didn't travel into town? That would be difficult. South Knoll/College Hills/Southwood Parkway/Oakwood/AMCMS/Consol would be a title one tract.. Oakwood was just granted title one status - I don't understand why AMCMS isn't title one as well since they have similar low SES numbers.

Both low SES/non low SES students drive in opposite directions now. If fact, more kids that are not low SES drive past schools than those who are low SES.

I believe the issue with the UIL is if the student was on varsity and applies for a transfer. They would have to sit out a year. If they are rezoned, that penalty would not apply. If someone is familiar with the athletic piece please verify because I'm not sure.
Stupe
How long do you want to ignore this user?
S
I don't think that demographics should be used as a basis for attendance zoning. I grew up in a diverse high school and one thing that was very obvious was that economic standing wasn't the biggest factor in whether or not a student did well.

It was the commitment of the student and the parents. Some of the worst students in my high school had loaded parents and some of the best were students that were dirt poor and wanted to get out of it.

SARATOGA
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Stop using Hwy6 as divider

Should be everything North of X goes to Consol; everything south of X goes to CSHS.

Bus kids OUT all you want.

Don't bus kids IN past other schools.

Ready break.

 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.