Gresham-Barlow School District Boundary Review Process

About the Boundary Review Process

The Gresham-Barlow School District has started a boundary review process. Recent construction resulting from the 2016 school bond has expanded capacity at multiple Gresham-Barlow Schools. The construction of new classrooms combined with the planned closing of West Gresham Elementary School in June of 2020 means school boundary shifts are necessary. During the Boundary Review Process, middle school and high school boundaries will also be reviewed.

Process Timeline

September

-Committee of community members convenes

September – November

-Committee meets weekly to review enrollment, capacity, housing population density and other data

-Open houses held for community to review proposals, share feedback

-Committee makes recommendation to superintendent of schools

December

-Superintendent makes recommendation to school board

-School board makes final decision on school boundary shifts

January

-Information on boundary changes shared with parents, community

Committee Charge

Working to identify, refine and review proposed updates to elementary, middle, and high school attendance area boundaries to support long-term balanced enrollment and facility capacity for the 2020-21 school year and beyond. The committee will engage with the public during two open houses (October 8 and November 5, 2019) to receive feedback on their proposed updates. The committee will provide a recommendation to the Superintendent on, or before the last committee meeting (November 19, 2019). The Superintendent will be responsible for evaluating the Committee’s recommendations and bringing a proposal forward to the Gresham-Barlow District Board of Directors. Committee members may be asked to participate in the Board Meeting.

Guiding Principles

Key values serve as guiding principles for the committee throughout the boundary review process. These are developed from District Policies and insights gained from parent surveys, land use studies, and student enrollment forecasting. A student is expected to attend the school serving his/her place of residence. (Board Policy JECC) Exceptions to this policy are also listed in Board Policy JECC-AR.

When considering boundary revisions, the committee will consider, to the extent possible, the following guiding principles. They are not prioritized.

-Take a District-wide perspective by considering growth trends and enrollment projections.

-Work to balance enrollment across schools.

-Minimize disruption and impacts to special programs or special populations (e.g., free-and-reduced lunch programs, special education).

-Make efforts to maintain neighborhood schools and the feeder system.

-Consider transportation impacts, and work towards limiting the amount of time required o a bus.

-Maximize proximity to home/walkability (e.g., not having to cross busy streets, railroad tracks, and consider natural boundaries.)

Read the Enrollment Report (pdf)

Committee Makeup

The committee is made up of parent representatives from each school and school principals.

How can I stay informed?

Information presented at committee meetings along with meeting minutes will be posted regularly in the "Boundary Review Meetings" section of this webpage.

Next Open House to review proposals, share feedback, set for November 5

The next open house is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, at 6:30 pm at North Gresham Elementary School. Watch for details closer to the date of the meeting!

There will also be an opportunity to provide feedback online.

Follow the committee's progress, view interactive boundary map

Follow along with the Boundary Review Committee's progress by using this interactive map.

You can view existing boundaries, as well as the starting proposal for the committee (Springboard Proposal), and each of the committee's proposals (i.e. Committee Proposal 1, 2, etc.). There will be several committee proposals as the committee works iteratively to vet different boundary configurations and incorporate feedback from the communit during two open houses. 

To learn how to use the interactive map, watch this tutorial video.

You can also view static boundary maps. You will find these maps in the Boundary Review Meetings section of this wepage. (Right side of page)

Questions?

Email your questions or comments to:

gbsd@gresham.k12.or.us