The Kalispell public school board will vote on a final proposal for new elementary school zones at its Jan. 9 meeting. The proposal grew out of so-called Option E and is now being called Option F.
The final plan emerged after the district initially released four options in October, followed by a fifth in November, which took in consideration numerous comments on the first set of alternatives. Concerns from parents involved both safety and social aspects, with redrawn boundaries forcing kids to walk farther and attend a different school than their friends.
After additional discussions and tinkering, the district ultimately arrived at Option F, unveiled in final form in December, which school officials say has received the most widespread consensus.
The proposal aims to address public comments as best as possible while still appropriately redistributing students around the city, for both current and future enrollment needs, as student numbers continue to swell in one of the fastest-growing towns in Montana.
The school board is also reviewing plans to specify enrollments at each of the six facilities.
The district also has a buy-sell agreement to purchase 12 acres in the Kalispell North Town Center off Whitefish Stage Road as the site of a future elementary school, but the deal is contingent on approval from Kalispell voters. The school board will discuss a timeline for such a vote.
Parents already have the option of submitting a petition to change schools within the school district. The school board will review the possibility of out-of-district tuition students, as well as a grandfather clause that would allow students to remain in their current school for a certain period of time based on approval of an application.
The new boundaries are necessary to accommodate the district’s forthcoming sixth elementary school, Rankin Elementary, which is under construction on Airport Road and will be completed in time for the fall semester. The last time the district had to redraw boundaries was 1987, when Edgerton was completed.
Click here for a map of the proposed school zone boundaries, and click here for enrollment allocation information. For general information, visit www.sd5.k12.mt.us.