Proposed Changes to School Zones to Be Announced This Week

➡️ ➡️ Find the full rezoning project website here ⬅️ ⬅️

January 28, 2025 update from Dr. Gurley:

Dear Cville Schools community,

Our Advisory Committee on Rezoning has completed its work, and I will announce information about proposed zoning changes by the end of the week. Even ahead of this announcement, I wanted to give you a heads up about phases for implementation, as well as some initial guidelines about younger students, siblings, and kids who would be in 4th/5th grade during a planned school change.

A Thank You to My Advisory Committee and All Who Shared Feedback!
I want to say thank you to so many who have given input so far – whether by serving on our advisory committee or completing a survey, attending a meeting, or writing an email. I also want to say thank you to our consultant from Woolpert. Karen Jackson is an expert at this work and brings insight and skill to this decision-making process.

Beloved Schools Make Changes Hard
As I have been developing these final recommendations with the Staff Working Group, I want to share what has been on my mind. First of all, this rezoning process has shown me just how beloved all six of our elementary schools are: no family wants to go to a new school! But changes are needed. As I have shared, while our schools in the southern half of the city are facing crowding, Greenbrier and Burnley-Moran have additional capacity. The sheer amount of residential development around Summit Elementary alone leaves us no choice. There is no way to expand Summit – and there is no room to add “learning cottages” on the school’s campus, either.

These are tough decisions to make, but we’ve had strong community engagement and excellent guidance along the way. 

A Heads Up About Phasing and Exemptions
I can tell you right now that the timeline for implementation will be a relief to many impacted families: 

• No current students would be rezoned before August 2027 (a year later than we initially anticipated). 
• In most cases, students would not be asked to change schools until August 2029.

If families can supply their own transportation and if space is available at the desired school, families can apply for the following exemptions:

• Any student who would be in 4th or 5th grade when the new school zone goes into effect can apply to stay at their current school to complete their last 1-2 years. 
• Younger siblings could apply to remain at their family’s current school as long as their older sibling attends that school. 
• Future kindergarten families can make a choice – they can apply to begin early at their new school. Alternatively, future kindergartners could attend their family’s current school and then change schools when the official rezoning goes into place. 
  • As noted above, at the time of the official rezoning, students in 4th or 5th grade at the time of a school zone change could apply to remain in their current school
• Keep in mind that the timeline for implementation is dependent on the progress of area residential construction projects; we will give annual updates to the School Board and families.

Chances to Learn More and Give Feedback
After I announce my final recommendations later this week, there will be two community meetings in February: one a Q&A and one for giving feedback:

• Rezoning Community Q&A: Tuesday, February 4, 5-6pm, Summit Elementary. Community members are invited to ask questions to make sure they fully understand the proposal. Questions can be broad or very specific about timelines or impact to your family.
• Rezoning Community Feedback Meeting: Tuesday, February 11, 5-7pm, CHS. Community members are invited to provide in-person comments on the recommendation – or submit comments in writing via a survey.

School Board Timeline
Additionally, the School Board will review, discuss, and take action on rezoning on the following dates: 

• Thursday, February 6, 5pm: The Board meeting will feature an overview of the proposed rezoning information to help inform the public.
• Thursday, March 6, 5pm:  Rezoning will be a discussion item for the Board meeting.
• Thursday, March 27, 5pm: Rezoning will likely be scheduled for a vote at this Board meeting.

Thank you for your continued engagement. Ultimately I am confident that we will have a plan that is best for all of our students and that will strengthen our schools into the future.

Dr. Gurley

Background

As our schools see continued growth in enrollment, we’re having a community conversation about possible elementary rezoning. This summer the school division released a request for proposals for a consultant on the issue of elementary school rezoning, as described in the Strategic Plan (in the category of Ensure Effective and Efficient Operations, strategy 16). Since this is the first comprehensive discussion about rezoning in our community since Jackson-Via was built, it is especially helpful to have outside expertise.

We have hired a firm to assist us, and rezoning is a likely recommendation. Following community presentations and engagements this fall, the Board will vote on recommendations in February 2025, with likely implementation in August 2026, which would coincide with the return of 5th-graders to elementary schools. Rezoning would enable the division to avoid overcrowding issues or the need to install learning cottages at some elementary schools.

This rezoning work is triggered by the net additional units scheduled for completion at South First Street during the 24-25 school year and other affordable housing work already in progress. We also anticipate that Charlottesville’s recently adopted upzoning changes as well as UVA’s plan to require all second-year students to live on campus (thereby freeing up housing stock for families) will lead to increases in the K-12 student population.

There are different approaches to rezoning implementation, including some phased approaches. The consultant would also make a recommendation about how to implement the new zones.

If they recommend new elementary zones, they will try to respect the City's current "neighborhood" boundaries, and they will also work to achieve diversity at each school. Other key considerations for rezoning include (included in the RFP):

• Maximize Walkability 
• Maximize Bus Route Efficiency 
• Adhere to Recognized Neighborhood Boundaries (whenever possible)
• Maintain or Improve Diversity & Demographic Balance Across Schools
• Maximize Zone Sustainability (minimum 5 years before any future rezoning)  

LINK TO THE PROJECT WEBSITE

Find the full rezoning project website here. The website has been updated with 4 draft recommendations for rezoning.

UPDATES TO THE SCHOOL BOARD

• September 5, 2024

REZONING TIMELINE:

• July 2024: Request for Proposals (RFP) to hire rezoning consultant released
• August 2024: Rezoning consultant contract finalized
• September 2024: Consultant to work with Staff Work Group for Rezoning (Executive Leadership) and Superintendent’s Advisory Committee of Rezoning (including Charlottesville Education Association representatives, Board members, elementary PTOs, and Executive Leadership)
• October-November 2024: Community engagement
• February-March 2025: Final public hearing and presentation to School Board for action