New idea floated for Columbia middle school redistricting
An idea for Columbia middle school redistricting leaves students on the southwest side of town at the school they are at now.
ABC 17 News was there when dozens of parents pleaded with the Columbia Board of Education to reconsider the several plans that involved moving students from Gentry Middle School to Jefferson Middle School. The district wants to reduce overcrowding at Gentry Middle School, which is the only middle school south of Broadway. Many felt the additional travel time for students and parents would hurt performance in school and discourage participation after school.
The new idea, sent to parents from the Columbia Public School District Wednesday night, leaves students living in the neighborhoods off Scott Boulevard at Gentry Middle School. Nearly all residents north of Vawter School Road, which becomes Nifong Boulevard further east, would attend Jefferson Middle School. The idea also moves the boundary of Jefferson Middle School towards the southeast part of Columbia, encompassing the new neighborhoods around Tolton Catholic High School.
The district will need to grapple with the potential of overcrowding until it builds and opens a new middle school. Superintendent Dr. Peter Stiepleman said he wanted it to serve south Columbia. The new idea would lower Gentry’s attendance to 769, a reduction of 90 students but still above its “comfortable capacity” of 725.
The board voted 6-1 at a work session Thursday to “accelerate” the construction of the middle school as a higher priority. The district originally planned to open the school in 2022. The finance committee will examine how to fund the project at an earlier date. Dr. Stiepleman told the board this month they would have a few sites for review at the February meeting.
CPS will hold town halls at Jefferson Middle School on January 25 and at Gentry on January 26. Both start at 5 p.m., and are open to anyone, regardless of which school they or a family member attend.
The district offers a tool to see where your child might go to school under the new idea here.
