Three recommendations brought to school board, final presentation March 18

By DEVIN WEEKS

COEUR d’ALENE — The Coeur d’Alene School District is one step closer to finalizing changes to attendance zones for the 2020-2021 school year.

During its meeting Monday, Superintendent Steve Cook presented the school board with three recommendations that have arisen from several months of work conducted by the Coeur d’Alene School District Boundary Review Committee, questions and comments gathered at community workshops and input from online surveys and correspondence with committee members and district officials.

The first recommendation regarding the elementary school map incorporates all the changes on the current proposed zone map, including Northwest Expedition Academy’s new physical boundary.

“This matched 2.0 revised version that was shared in the community early on,” Cook said, adding that changes would be made to all of the western elementary schools but would leave the southeast quarter under current boundaries, as more work needs to be done in that area.

This incorporates new boundaries for Atlas, Skyway, NExA and Winton, and Hayden Meadows,” he said.

The second recommendation is to do nothing with the middle school boundaries at this time as Lakes, Canfield and Woodland are all at or near 100 percent capacity, emphasizing the necessity of a fourth middle school in the near future.

The third recommendation is for a “slow roll” transition to a vertical division for the high schools, splitting the boundary along U.S. 95 and Lincoln Way, beginning next school year for freshmen only.

Cook said walkability, neighborhood schools and a predictable feeder system emerged as top priorities throughout this research.

“Schools need to be located where kids are, and where they’re coming,” he said, pointing to projected growth areas in the northwestern area of the map. “What is becoming extremely clear, if we do nothing and we leave these boundaries as they are recommended right now, these two high schools are within just a few kids of each other. But within 10 years, Lake City High School is back over 2,100 students, and we’re going to have to make some recommendations and changes on that.”

More work has yet to be done before the final presentation goes to the board March 18.

Liza McNamee, whose kids go to Coeur d’Alene schools, spoke during the public comment period to remind the board that grandfathering (the exemption of certain students from boundary changes) priorities should consider the most at-risk kids before making them change schools. She pointed out that one policy, as it stands right now, “is going to force kids with autism, emotional difficulties, learning disabilities and other similar conditions to rebuild the supportive relationships with new staff members.”

“The services are available at all schools,” she said. “It’s not the services which are the issue here, but rather the security that comes from the established relationships with staff and familiarity of surroundings. It will not be in the interest of these students to force them to move schools. Families, with the guidance from their schools, should be granted some, but not total, liberties in these special cases to do what is best for their children and their siblings.”

Comments and questions regarding the boundary review process may be submitted to boundaries@cdaschools.org.

The Coeur d’Alene School Board of Trustees special meeting to vote on proposed new attendance zones will be held at 5 p.m. in Midtown Meeting Center, 1505 N. Fifth St.

Maps and info: www.cdaschools.org/boundaries