School Board approves Bermuda District elementary school redistricting

New plan balances elementary school enrollments relative to school capacities

Contributed Report

CHESTERFIELD — The Chesterfield County School Board unanimously approved on Feb. 12 an elementary school redistricting plan for the Bermuda District that will balance student enrollments, alleviate overcrowding at some elementary schools and begin to create more neighborhood-friendly feeder patterns within the Bermuda District.

“The opening of a replacement Enon Elementary School during the 2018-19 school year afforded us the opportunity to create school boundaries that are more efficient and practical,” Bermuda District School Board representative Carrie Coyner said. “By taking this action, we have created space for student enrollment growth in all of our Bermuda District elementary schools while creating more neighborhood-friendly school zones.”

The redistricting plan will move approximately 1,350 students during the 2018-19 school year. Students moving from Elizabeth School Elementary to Enon Elementary will not move until the 2019-20 school year.

In January 2018, the school division posted and shared proposed redistricting maps that would impact all Bermuda District elementary schools and Salem Church Elementary, a border school located in the Dale District. Information about the redistricting was mailed to each Bermuda District household with a currently enrolled elementary school student. A community meeting and a public hearing were held to inform and receive input from families.

“We continue to meet with community residents to share the plan and respond to questions,” Coyner said. “We also are working to host open houses to welcome families to their new schools, as well as other visits so that students can meet their new classmates.”

The redistricting work is consistent with the School Board’s position when it decided in 2016 not to take action on a third party vendor-proposed countywide redistricting plan. The School Board at that time shared its intention to pursue spot redistricting as construction was completed on renovated, replacement and/or new schools.

The approved redistricting plan balances elementary school enrollments between 71-90 percent of school design capacities, and it will allow Bermuda District schools to accommodate future student enrollment growth without the need for learning cottages. The approved plan also eliminates islands that currently exist within current elementary school boundaries to create more efficient bus routes.

The approved redistricting maps, along with a listing of neighborhoods impacted, are available on mychesterfieldschools.com.

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