Public gives feedback on Jefferson City Schools boundary adjustments

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City community will gave some input Tuesday night on possible boundary changes for Jefferson City Schools.

The JC Schools Boundary Line Advisory Committee is proposing four preliminary attendance area changes.

The meeting Tuesday night was the second for the public to give feedback on the initial ideas.

"I wanted to see what the lines would look like so I know how to vote because I'd really like to keep my daughter in the same school," said Keremsa Morrow-Kempf, a parent of two JC Schools students.

JC Schools started looking at its school boundary lines last month, following board policy to do so every three years.

"The capacity of our schools, the needs of our schools in our community, we look at poverty rates, we look at enrollment and we look at proximity," said Dr. Larry Linthacum, the JC Schools superintendent. "We also look geographically at our schools and with transportation, we know there's a shortage of bus drivers, and that's part of the challenge and the considerations going forward."

The district partnered with a company called Cooperative Strategies to build recommendations for the boundaries.

Together, the teams designed four map scenarios after looking at boundaries, enrollment data and trends.

Community members had the chance to learn more about the process Tuesday night, while officials gathered input for reference.

The Jefferson City Board of Education will get final approval of the boundary lines, then those who are expected to be impacted will be contacted.

Anyone interested has until Dec. 2 to fill out the online survey.

The changes are expected to go into effect at the beginning of the next school year.