District 834 Boundary Changes: New Year, New School For Some Kids

Going back to school can be tough, but starting at a new school can be tougher.

Some Stillwater area students will have to attend a new school this fall due to the boundary changes taking affect next month.

In February, the Stillwater Area School Board approved adjusting boundaries for the 2011-2012 school year.

When the boundary changes were approved last winter, approximately 265 students were affected, according to the Stillwater Area Schools Communications Coordinator Carissa Keister.

That number has been changing since February as students come off the waiting lists, move or change their school choice, Keister said.

Students who were in fourth or fifth grade last year have been allowed to stay in their current elementary school until they reach junior high.

The junior high feeder system will be phased in over the next two years. Current seventh and eighth grade students will stay in their current school until they reach high school, according to the school district’s website.

A lottery was held in February to give students and their families a choice on which schools they wanted to attend. Many students were placed on waiting lists for their choice school. Despite the waiting list, the school district was able to accommodate more than 75 percent of the original alternate enrollment requests, according to the school district’s website.

To ease the transition for students, many schools are hosting events to encourage students to take tours of their new school and meet the staff. Some schools are even hosting barbeques for the new students and their parents, Keister said. The principals are working with the new families to ensure the transition is a smooth one.