On Thursday, November 16, 2023, the Washoe County School District met with the WCSD Zoning Advisory Committee and the public at Sky Ranch Middle School at 1200 Windmill Farms Road in Sparks to discuss possibly changing the boundaries for up to 10 schools in the area.
“We talked about the rezoning of middle and elementary schools in Sparks and north Spanish Springs to help alleviate overcrowding,” says WCSD Chief Operating Officer Adam Searcy. He explains that the District’s board of trustees brought up the issue in early September and questioned whether it would be worth building a new elementary school to alleviate overcrowding [mainly at Sky Ranch Middle School and John Bohach Elementary School]. However, in looking at the enrollment numbers and other schools in the area that are underutilized, the trustees wondered if simply redrawing the boundary lines would suffice. Therefore, a group of 13 citizens consisting of staff, parents, and key stakeholders came together to form the Zoning Advisory Committee. They met in September and October in a public forum where they discussed several scenarios that would best serve or greatly impact the students. The meetings were promoted via social media, emails, and newsletters.
Searcy says that there was a lot of healthy input and deliberation that came from the November 16th meeting, and the Zoning Advisory Committee advised and approved a new rezoning plan. That plan still must go in front of the board of trustees and gain a majority vote to move forward, and if the board agrees with the plan, then the new school boundaries would not go into effect until at least the 2024/25 school year.
New developments in northern Sparks/Spanish Springs- like the new Stonebrook community being constructed- perhaps prompted the school district to look at the enrollment numbers more closely as new residents move into Sparks. The WCSD owns a parcel of land in that area- and it was prepared to construct a school there- but in looking at the potential enrollment numbers there may not be a need.
“Rezoning was a better option,” Searcy says. He understands that it may be disruptive to some families, and the advisory board did consider the impacts rezoning would have on Sepulveda, Van Gorder, Alyce Taylor, and Spanish Springs elementary school students.
“Despite all of our best efforts, more kids have moved into those [impacted] grades than we thought,” Searcy says. “It’s an emotional, change-driven decision,” he adds, saying that the reason why some are against rezoning is because it may pull students away from their friends.
“It’s an intelligent, well-informed group of people who come from all walks of life,” Searcy says about the Zoning Advisory Board. “They debated this for a couple of hours and ultimately came up with their own recommendation that was a bit different from the staff’s recommendation. I think that’s ultimately the superior option and how change should be implemented…in a transparent and informative way,” he adds.
To access the school district’s interactive zoning map, regulation about the alignment of school attendance zones, and more, visit www.washoeschools.net and click on the Building/Zoning tab.
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