Columbia Board of Education gets update on redistricting
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Columbia Public Schools held a Board of Education Meeting on Thursday morning. The agenda included discussions about additional phases of redistricting, weighted grades and asbestos removal.
Elementary Attendance Area Updates
The first phase will move about 100 students from Parkade Elementary School to Alpha Hart Elementary starting this fall. This initial phase was agreed to earlier this month.
Phases two and three of the plan have not been finalized yet. Originally CPS was presented with 17 options for redistricting and has narrowed it down to two main options.
Watch a replay of the discussion in the player below.
According to CPS, the next phases will address other elementary attendance areas and will happen sometime between 2022-2023.
CPS spokesperson, Michelle Baumstark said CPS is currently considering two options.
One plan would move about 26% of kindergarten through fifth grade students to different schools and the other option would move only 11% of students.
While breaking down the scenarios the board looked at different walkability distances for students.
CPS Chief Operations Officer, Randy Gooch, said the BOE is planning to vote on the later phases on June 14.
Weighted Grades Update
According to the meeting agenda, board members also discussed the implementation of a weighted GPA system. CPS says changing the GPA calculation will incentivize students to take harder classes and therefore improve students success for life after CPS.
Weighted GPA's are set to go into effect during the 2021-2022 school year and will include advanced placement and dual enrollment courses. According to the presentation for Thursday's meeting, each course will have one point added for GPA calculations.
Phase two of weighted GPA's is set to go into effect during the 2022-2023 school year. CPS says phase two will consider honors and other advanced courses for a weighted GPA. Honors courses will most likely have half of a point added for GPA calculations.
Other Agenda Items
During the meeting, the Board of Education is expected to approve a bid for a replacement cooling tower chiller for Lange Middle School which is expected to cost CPS $653,511 according to the meeting agenda.
The board is also expected to approve a construction agreement for the West Boulevard Elementary School Kitchen Remodel due to asbestos. This is expected to cost CPS $10,600 according to the meeting agenda.
Other items on the meeting agenda include a discussion of the 2021-2022 budget, the appointment of board members and administrators to the Board of Education Committee,s and the approval of the Boys & Girls Club 21st Century Community Learning Center grant application.
The CPS meeting is set to begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Aslin Administration Building.
