GALVESTON — Faced with a glut of schools and a declining student population, Galveston school district trustees have been forced to realign the district for the second time since 2007.
Trustees have whittled the reconfiguration options to two choices from the nine presented by Superintendent Lynne Cleveland. The district will have a public forum on the options Thursday. Trustees are expected to vote on the realignment plan, which would go into effect for the 2010-11 school year, on Dec. 16.
The district has lost one-third of its students since 2001 as families moved off the island and Hurricane Ike displaced thousands of Galvestonians. The reconfiguration is based on Cleveland’s estimates that the district will have no more than 7,000 students by 2013. The reconfiguration plan is supposed to remain in place for five years.
Both proposals call for reopening the hurricane-flooded Scott Elementary School, 4116 Ave. N1/2, and Central Middle School, 3014 Sealy St., which have been closed since the hurricane struck Galveston on Sept. 13, 2008. The flooded Burnet Elementary School, 5501 Ave. S., will not reopen.
Some schools won’t change in 2010-11 under the reconfiguration proposals: Ball High, Austin Middle and Crenshaw Elementary and Middle schools will look the same next year as they do now. Morgan, Parker and Oppe Elementary schools will house students in grades prekindergarten through four.
However, the island’s two middle schools — Central and Weis — will house different populations next year than they did before the hurricane.
The proposals call for Central Middle School to house either the Knowledge is Power Program Coastal Village school, which is expected to enroll more than 1,000 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade by 2013, or all of the island’s students in grades five through eight. Before the hurricane, middle school students were divided among Central and Weis, but since the storm closed Central, all fifth- through eighth-graders have attended school at Weis, unless they were accepted into the district’s specialized magnet school or early college high school.
The proposals also call for Weis Middle School, 7100 Stewart Road, to house all of the island’s seventh- and eighth-graders along with the district’s alternative school, the Accelerated Instruction Model program, or to drop middle school grades altogether. Under the second option, Weis Middle School would house the alternative program along with a day care and early childhood program.
Scott Elementary School, 4116 Ave. N, across the street from Ball High School, will house the district’s new Early College High School program.
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At A Glance
WHAT: Reconfiguration public forum
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Thursday
WHERE: Ball High School, 4115 Ave. O
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GISD Reconfiguration Options
Under both options:
— Ball High School and Austin Middle School will operate as they do now.
— Burnet Elementary School, 5501 Ave. S, will not reopen.
— Crenshaw Elementary and Middle School, the district’s only campus on Bolivar Peninsula, will remain the same, at least through 2010-11.
— Morgan, Parker and Oppe Elementary schools will house students in prekindergarten through fourth grade.
— Scott Elementary School, 4116 Ave. N, will reopen and house the Early College High School.
— Alamo Elementary School, 5200 Ave. N1/2, will house the district’s maintenance and operations center and the district’s alternative education program.
Under Option 1:
— Weis Middle School, 7100 Stewart Road, would house all of the island’s seventh and eighth graders, as well as the district’s alternative school for high school and middle school students.
— Central Middle School, 3014 Sealy St., would house the Knowledge is Power Program, which is expected to expand to prekindergarten through eighth grade by fall 2013.
— San Jacinto Elementary School, 1110 21st St., would house the district’s new college preparatory program for fifth and sixth graders.
— Rosenberg Elementary School, 721 10th St., would house the district’s day care and early childhood program.
Under Option 2:
— Weis Middle School would house the alternative school for high school and middle schools, the early childhood program and the day care.
— Central Middle School would house all students in fifth through eighth grades as well as students in the college preparatory program.
— San Jacinto Elementary School would be home to Knowledge is Power Program students in fifth through eighth grades.
— Rosenberg Elementary School would house the Knowledge is Power Program students in grades prekindergarten through fourth.
Source: Galveston Independent School District
Trustees have whittled the reconfiguration options to two choices from the nine presented by Superintendent Lynne Cleveland. The district will have a public forum on the options Thursday. Trustees are expected to vote on the realignment plan, which would go into effect for the 2010-11 school year, on Dec. 16.
The district has lost one-third of its students since 2001 as families moved off the island and Hurricane Ike displaced thousands of Galvestonians. The reconfiguration is based on Cleveland’s estimates that the district will have no more than 7,000 students by 2013. The reconfiguration plan is supposed to remain in place for five years.
Both proposals call for reopening the hurricane-flooded Scott Elementary School, 4116 Ave. N1/2, and Central Middle School, 3014 Sealy St., which have been closed since the hurricane struck Galveston on Sept. 13, 2008. The flooded Burnet Elementary School, 5501 Ave. S., will not reopen.
Some schools won’t change in 2010-11 under the reconfiguration proposals: Ball High, Austin Middle and Crenshaw Elementary and Middle schools will look the same next year as they do now. Morgan, Parker and Oppe Elementary schools will house students in grades prekindergarten through four.
However, the island’s two middle schools — Central and Weis — will house different populations next year than they did before the hurricane.
The proposals call for Central Middle School to house either the Knowledge is Power Program Coastal Village school, which is expected to enroll more than 1,000 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade by 2013, or all of the island’s students in grades five through eight. Before the hurricane, middle school students were divided among Central and Weis, but since the storm closed Central, all fifth- through eighth-graders have attended school at Weis, unless they were accepted into the district’s specialized magnet school or early college high school.
The proposals also call for Weis Middle School, 7100 Stewart Road, to house all of the island’s seventh- and eighth-graders along with the district’s alternative school, the Accelerated Instruction Model program, or to drop middle school grades altogether. Under the second option, Weis Middle School would house the alternative program along with a day care and early childhood program.
Scott Elementary School, 4116 Ave. N, across the street from Ball High School, will house the district’s new Early College High School program.
+++
At A Glance
WHAT: Reconfiguration public forum
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Thursday
WHERE: Ball High School, 4115 Ave. O
+++
GISD Reconfiguration Options
Under both options:
— Ball High School and Austin Middle School will operate as they do now.
— Burnet Elementary School, 5501 Ave. S, will not reopen.
— Crenshaw Elementary and Middle School, the district’s only campus on Bolivar Peninsula, will remain the same, at least through 2010-11.
— Morgan, Parker and Oppe Elementary schools will house students in prekindergarten through fourth grade.
— Scott Elementary School, 4116 Ave. N, will reopen and house the Early College High School.
— Alamo Elementary School, 5200 Ave. N1/2, will house the district’s maintenance and operations center and the district’s alternative education program.
Under Option 1:
— Weis Middle School, 7100 Stewart Road, would house all of the island’s seventh and eighth graders, as well as the district’s alternative school for high school and middle school students.
— Central Middle School, 3014 Sealy St., would house the Knowledge is Power Program, which is expected to expand to prekindergarten through eighth grade by fall 2013.
— San Jacinto Elementary School, 1110 21st St., would house the district’s new college preparatory program for fifth and sixth graders.
— Rosenberg Elementary School, 721 10th St., would house the district’s day care and early childhood program.
Under Option 2:
— Weis Middle School would house the alternative school for high school and middle schools, the early childhood program and the day care.
— Central Middle School would house all students in fifth through eighth grades as well as students in the college preparatory program.
— San Jacinto Elementary School would be home to Knowledge is Power Program students in fifth through eighth grades.
— Rosenberg Elementary School would house the Knowledge is Power Program students in grades prekindergarten through fourth.
Source: Galveston Independent School District
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