The Prince William County School Board received a report on the three recommended boundary proposals for Haymarket Drive Elementary School scheduled to open in fall of this year.
Dr. Matthew Cartlidge, Supervisor of Planning for the Office of Facility Services, said his office considered input from the superintendent’s staff, county services and the community members “who possess the key knowledge of the geography and the community,”on his citizen’s Boundary Committee.
The committee met several times and held two public meetings, after which they decided upon presenting three plans to the School Board:
The first plan, 1.2R, reassigns neighborhoods off Cerro Gordo Road and the communities of Twin Branch West, Simmons Grove, West Market Towns, Robinson Paradise, West Market Center, Green View Estates, South Market, Gateway Oaks, Sherwood Forest, Old Market, 18th Century Market, Kennard Ridge, Haymarket Outlook, Piedmont Mews, Piedmont South, Parks of Piedmont South and Carterwood to attend the Haymarket Drive Elementary School.
Plan 1.2R also reassigns the rural community of William Center from Tyler Elementary into Piney Branch Elementary along the Linton Hall corridor in Gainesville.
This plan would have the new Haymarket School at 87.7 percent capacity in its opening year. Meanwhile, Buckland Mills would be at 79.7 percent, Tyler at 70 percent and Alvey at 83.8 percent. Gravely would be at 99.4 percent and would be reach 102 percent capacity by the 2016-17 school year.
Nine members of the boundary committee supported this plan; one opposed it and two abstained.
The second plan 1.1B is “nearly identical” to 1.2R, said Cartlidge. However, in this plan, Carterwood is reassigned not from Alvey to Haymarket Drive, but from Alvey to Tyler. This would allow the new elementary school to open with 76.1 percent capacity rather than 87.7 percent. While this plan offers less relief to Tyler, Tyler would still not reach capacity until 2023-24. Gravely however would reach capacity in 2016-17, and Piney Branch the following year.
The Carterwood community is in a unique situation. They were rezoned for Alvey in 2008, not because they are located near the school, but simply because Alvey needed another neighborhood upon the opening of Gravely.
Now, with Alvey nearing its capacity, Cartlidge said it needs to relinquish some of its neighborhoods, and Carterwood seems the obvious choice.
The planning committee voted for this plan with nine for, two opposed and one abstention.
The final plan, D.1A, offers another small difference from the other two. In this plan, Piedmont South and Parks of Piedmont South remain at Tyler, as the parents had requested. In their place, Carterwood and Crossroads Village are reassigned to the new school.
This plan has Haymarket Drive open with only 72.5 percent capacity. However, within three years, Gravely and Tyler would both be over capacity as would Piney Branch within four years.
Only five members of the boundary committee approved this plan. Four opposed it, and three abstained.
Cartlidge said that “the demographics are unchanged,” within the three plans. They keep the number of ESOL, self-identifying racial minority students and economically disadvantaged students within a three percent change at each school, except for Buckland Mills, which would see a 6.1 percent increase in minority students as per all proposed plans.
Brentsville School Board member Gil Trenum, representing the Haymarket Drive School, asked why none of the plans separated the Parks of Piedmont and Piedmont South communities. Cartlidge answered that parents from those communities “vehemently” asked that those communities remain together, as they identify themselves as one community.
Chairman Milt Johns asked if it would be possible to allow Tyler students who would like to remain at the school to stay, should they provide their own means of transportation.
Cartlidge said he did not believe this would work as he could imagine 90 percent of parents taking advantage of such an offer. The result would leave Tyler greatly overburdened with students and Haymarket Drive severely under populated. [However, rising fifth graders would likely be allowed to remain, should they provide their own form of transportation to and from school.] In light of how dedicated parents were to their schools, Johns acknowledged how difficult a decision this would be for his Board.
Gainesville District School Board member Alyson Satterwhite commended parents for their “passion” for their current schools, and said she hopes they will soon feel the same pride in being a part of the Haymarket Drive School.
The School Board members discussed some of the traffic concerns, revealing that Catharpin Drive will remain open as the new overpass is built, but Old Carolina Road will be reduced to one lane in the coming year.
Dr. Otaigbe asked why Plan 1.3, which was popular with parents, was removed from consideration. Cartlidge answered, saying it was not in “the best interest of the local community nor of the school division.”
Plan 1.3, among other things, kept Carterwood at Alvey. Parents seemed to favor it because it caused the least amount of change of all the plans offered at that time. However, for a plan to be viable, it had not only to please parents, but also balance populations at Haymarket Drive and existing schools in a sustainable way.
Even with the opening of Haymarket Drive, Gravely and Piney Branch are likened to be overcrowded within a few years. They will have to wait until the other new elementary schools on the western end of the county, Devlin Road School and the Vint Hill School, open in 2015 and 2018, respectively.
A vote on the matter will be held at the next Prince William County School Board meeting, which is scheduled for Jan. 22.
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