Education
Projected growth spurs review of attendance zones
As the McKinney area grows in population, McKinney ISD o cials are considering how population growth may impact the district’s attendance zones. McKinney ISD board of trustees
“[We] need to rebalance as much as we can with the existing infrastructure that we have … for that northwest area.” DENNIS WOMACK, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT
unanimously approved the formation of an educational
facilities alignment committee at a Sept. 15 meeting. The commit- tee will study both current school attendance zones and project population growth, and recom- mend zone changes, according to a presentation at an Aug. 18 board meeting. The speci cs Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Dennis Womack said that data from demographics studies company Zonda Education shows that schools in the district’s north- west sector are expected to see signi cant enrollment growth, while the southern region will see stagnant enrollment with some slight declines. At the elementary level, three schools in north McKinney—Fra- zier, Press and Webb elementary schools—are projected to each have more than 1,000 students enrolled by the 2034-35 school year based on existing attendance zones, district documents state. “Three schools trying to educate 2,500 in ve years and 3,300 in 10 years is probably not going to be realistic for us,” Womack said. The southern portion of the city includes 16 elementary school zones, with most expect- ing to see a slight decline in enrollment, according to the presentation. Womack noted that at the elementary school level, declining enrollment can be linked to rising property values. “In this southwest area of the
OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS
district, our home prices have outpaced what a new family can a ord,” Womack said. Diving in deeper Johnson Middle School is the only school out of the district’s ve middle schools that projec- tions show will future enrollment surpass its functional capacity. McKinney North High School will see similar enrollment growth due to north McKinney population growth, the presentation stated. The school’s attendance zone was previously adjusted to realign the new Painted Tree development into McKinney Boyd High School’s attendance zone, but additional adjustments will be needed, Womack said. Looking ahead A request to create an edu- cational facilities alignment committee will be on the board’s September meeting agenda. The committee would be tasked with studying the district’s short and long term projected enrollment and recommending updated boundaries for each school level. The committee will begin meet- ing in September and present recommendations at the board’s Dec. 15 meeting.
Set for success
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