Blaine enrollment and facility solutions for 2022-23 school year
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As enrollment continues to increase in the Sunrise Elementary attendance area it has become clear that changes are needed to address overall enrollment and to maintain class sizes. Sunrise was built to serve 1,000 students and the school is currently at 1,129 and growing. Information was presented to the Anoka-Hennepin School Board about temporary boundary adjustments at their Dec. 13 meeting, and a process to collect community feedback on potential solutions is underway.
The basics
Sunrise school administration has been working with a team from the district office including transportation, student services, and communications regarding potential solutions. Basics of the planning process include:- A temporary boundary change would be implemented in the fall of 2022 which would cover the next two school years.
- Approximately 120 to 200 students would be involved each year.
- Classroom space at nearby schools would be used for the temporary solution.
- Parents/guardians and staff will be able to review and comment, and provide additional solutions for consideration as part of the process.
Preliminary options
Option 1: Provides programming for Sunrise kindergarten students using available classroom space at Johnsville Elementary. This option would include a portion of the kindergarten class for one school year.Option 2: Provides programming for Sunrise fifth grade students using available classroom space at Roosevelt Middle School. This option includes the entire fifth grade class.
Option 3: Additional solutions that emerge from the community engagement process.
Timeline
Parent/guardians will have a chance to review options and provide feedback at a community meeting on Tuesday, Jan 11 from 6 p.m to 7:30 p.m. View the presentation. Submit feedback online. Feedback from the electronic survey will be accepted until Thursday, Jan. 20. A draft proposal of solutions will be presented for School Board review at their Jan. 24 meeting, with approval considered at the Feb. 28, 2022 School Board meeting.A follow-up community meeting to provide updates on the proposals was held Tuesday, Feb. 8 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.:
This timeline allows adequate time for staffing, logistics and communication in advance of the fall 2022 implementation.
Questions
It is understood that families may have many questions regarding these proposals. Please forward questions via email to boundaries@ahschools.us so they can be addressed.
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Frequently asked questions
Additions and portable classrooms
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Have you considered a portable classroom? Or a building addition?
The district is not pursuing portable classrooms as a strategy based on the long-term goal to remove all portable classrooms from operation starting in 2019 as a result of the Fit for the Future referendum. At that time, the community task force found portable classrooms to be a safety and security risk and some of the portable classrooms (which were intended to be temporary) were nearly 30 years old when they were finally removed between 2019-2021. The timeline for a building addition does not allow for space to be in place for the 2022-23 school year.
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Why can’t an addition be built at Sunrise?
Sunrise Elementary could be expanded, but the district has available space in the Blaine cluster of schools for students at no additional expense. An addition would cost $6 to $10 million, impact other maintenance projects at other district facilities, and not be in place for the fall of 2022.
Students and family impacts
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Will there be a sibling preference? If I have another student at Sunrise, will my kindergarten student be able to stay?
The district will follow the in-district transfer request process. The in-district transfer option is for a student who resides in the Anoka-Hennepin School District and wants to transfer to a different Anoka-Hennepin school from their regularly assigned school.
Anoka-Hennepin Schools has sibling preference, but it is not a guaranteed acceptance. Applicant students who have a sibling already attending the school they are applying for, and that sibling will still be attending that school the same year being applied for, will be looked at ahead of those without that consideration.
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How will you decide which students are involved?
The fifth-grade proposal includes the entire class level. The kindergarten option includes 120 students. The work to provide information on which students would be considered is dependent on School Board direction.
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Is there information online about this issue?
Visit ahschools.us/sunrise for an overview.
Future planning
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What happens next?
The School Board will consider the input and recommendations at its Jan. 24 meeting, and is expected to make a final decision at the Feb. 28 School Board meeting.
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What will the district do when future growth fills Sunrise again?
The School District looks at enrollment each year. The district has used portable classrooms and boundary changes to manage overcrowding, and consider adding new schools only when it is certain they will be necessary. School Board policy calls for 5 years of permanency in boundaries for elementary schools, ten years for middle schools and high schools.
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What will we do in two years when we are out of space again?
The School Board may consider boundary changes across the district. This boundary change would move neighborhoods to other school attendance areas at the elementary level. School Board policy calls for 5 years of permanency for elementary families.
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What about future boundary changes? What is the timeline and process for the future?
School Board policy provides five year permanency for elementary school boundaries and ten years of permanency for middle school and high school boundaries. The earliest new elementary boundaries would be considered following this policy is the 2023-24 school year.
Transportation
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How long will my child need to ride the bus to get to Roosevelt or Johnsville?
Our transportation staff have driven the bus route at the time of day when children would be transported to school. The length of time is within the district standard of 32 minutes or less per route.
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What are the bell times? How will transportation work?
Student transportation schedules and bell times will be determined as part of this process when it is determined which options are being considered.
Staffing, school operations and past planning
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Would Sunrise teachers be impacted if this boundary change were made?
Boundary changes do not have an impact on the number of teachers in the district. Staffing is adjusted throughout the district each year because of continual fluctuations in enrollment. Teachers may be transferred to other schools if they are not needed in the building in which they are currently working.
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How does after-school programming at Johnsville or Roosevelt compare with what is available at Sunrise?
After-school programs are offered at all elementary schools. Course offerings vary based on family interest and staff availability.
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Why didn’t the district plan earlier to handle the enrollment issue?
Projections for Sunrise Elementary for this year were at 1,063 students. The district determined that action was necessary following the Oct. 1 enrollment report, which counted 1,108 students. Enrollment is now at 1,135 and growing. It took some time to prepare options for consideration prior to a School Board presentation in December. The district is working on a schedule similar to past temporary enrollment solutions for the upcoming school year.
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What happens to middle school and high school enrollment?
Middle and high school attendance boundaries would not change.
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Please review the process for open enrollment and in-district transfers.
Information on open enrollment and in-district transfers is posted on the enrollment/registration page at ahschools.us/enroll.
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What about open enrollment? Can you move any non-Sunrise students out and close down open enrollment and in-district transfers?
Sunrise Elementary has been closed to accepting students from outside the attendance area for the past two school years. Once a student is accepted, the district does not move the student from the school site. Due to proactive steps to limit open enrollment, Sunrise has less than 15 students open-enrolled.
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How does the school support transitions for movement of students?
In the attendance boundary process, schools work collaboratively with families and students on transitions. This includes welcoming families in both the spring and in August. Additionally, students will maintain relationships with the Sunrise school community.
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What are the bell times? How will transportation work?
Student transportation schedules and bell times will be determined as part of this process when it is determined which options are being considered.
Kindergarten specific questions
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What was the communication with incoming kindergarten students?
The district has a listing of 250 families of potential Kindergarten students who were mailed two notices of community meetings and how to provide input. In addition, approximately two-thirds of incoming kindergarten students have a sibling at Sunrise and that family would have also received communication from the school.
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What if my kindergarten student wants to stay at Johnsville for future years?
Families may use the in-district transfer request process if they wish to stay at Johnsville.
The in-district transfer option is for a student who resides in the Anoka-Hennepin School District and wants to transfer to a different Anoka-Hennepin school from their regularly assigned school.
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I have another student at Sunrise Elementary along with my incoming Kindergarten student. Will there be sibling preferences for enrolling?
Because two-thirds of incoming kindergarten students have a sibling at Sunrise Elementary School, this option is not possible. Enrollment will be determined by address due to maximize transportation efficiency for this option.
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What is the district’s stance on sibling preference? If I have another student along with my kindergarten student, can they also enroll at Johnsville for the year?
The in-district transfer option is for a student who resides in the Anoka-Hennepin School District and wants to transfer to a different Anoka-Hennepin school from his or her regularly assigned school.
Anoka-Hennepin Schools has sibling preference, but it is not a guaranteed acceptance. Applicant students who have a sibling already attending the school they are applying for, and that sibling will still be attending that school the same year being applied for, will be looked at ahead of those without out that consideration.
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Will my kindergarten student be in a classroom with other Sunrise students, or will students from both schools be mixed?
This would be determined at a later date depending on integration with Adventures Plus before- and after-school child care programming, transportation and bell times.
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Why not just build a Kindergarten Center in Blaine as a solution for this?
The timeline for fall 2022 does not allow time to implement a Kindergarten Center as suggested.
Fifth-grade specific questions
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If the fifth-grade solution is selected, will my fifth-grade student be able to stay at Roosevelt Middle School through eighth grade?
Yes.
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Since you have space for kindergarten students at Johnsville, couldn’t the fifth-grade students also go to Johnsville?
It is possible to service Sunrise fifth-grade students at Johnsville. The recommendation to pursue space at Roosevelt Middle School was based on the desire to limit school transitions for students to the extent possible.
Forward any additional questions to boundaries@ahschools.us to be considered for an answer in this format.
