School District Boundaries? by Shelby Johnson

An often quoted figure states that 60% of every tax dollar in Arkansas is used to support public education. The significance of this amount of money would make you think the accuracy of these school district lines would be critical. School District boundaries have been mapped for years but their quality and accuracy has been a source of concern for the GIS community since these data were first digitized. This topic covers some of the work done to improve the accuracy, some reasons for the discrepancies that exist, including no single collection of school district boundary legal descriptions, numerous methods by which they change (consolidation, annexation or legislation.) Some examples will be highlighted that show some of the problems that arise and finally will offer up a potential solution to this difficult problem and maintaining accurate school district boundaries.

Transcript

1. School District Boundaries? 2012 Arkansas GIS Symposium Shelby D Johnson, Geographic Information Officer Arkansas Geographic Information Office
3. • Dear Superintendent: • The Secretary of State, Arkansas Department of Education and Arkansas Geographic Information Office are working together on a project to create a comprehensive and accurate set of maps showing the boundaries of Arkansas’ school districts. The result of this project will be a recommendation to the State Board of Education to designate the resulting maps as the official boundaries of the state’s 310 school districts. • Enclosed is a map showing your school district’s boundaries according to the official 2000 U.S. Census. Our review of these maps for several districts indicates the census bureau’s version of these school boundaries is correct with regard to many districts, but flawed with regard to others. • Since the census maps constitute the only effort to date that we are aware of to electronically digitize school district boundaries, we are using them as a starting point for our project. Please review the census map of your district carefully, and mark on it any discrepancy you see between it and any maps or legal descriptions of your district that you might possess. After you have reviewed your map, please return it by January 21, 2002 to Tim Humphries, Secretary of State Redistricting Office, Room 102, Aegon Building, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201. Or, if you believe the census map to be accurate, please respond with that information by the same date. If we have not heard from you by January 21, we will assume that the census map is correct. • Whether or not you believe the census maps to be accurate, it would be very helpful to us to have whatever maps or legal or other written descriptions you have regarding your districts. Please provide whatever such information you can to the above-mentioned addressee. • It is very important that we hear from you. It will be our strong recommendation the Board adopt the revised maps as the official boundary of your school district if we have not heard from you otherwise. Indeed, if we do not hear from you, the Board will have no other information upon which to base its determination regarding your district boundary. I am sure you know how important this boundary is with regard to attendance and taxation matters. • I look forward to hearing from you soon regarding this very urgent matter.
4. Consolidations Since 2002
6. 254 Districts in 2013
15. Options Going Forward • Legislate a line in the Sand (2018) the County Assessor Parcel level data is the school district boundary. – Creates a buffer period for Assessors and Superintendents to resolve – Allows time for data to be included in TIGER 2020 – Creates additional driver for Assessors to finish parcels
16. Options Going Forward (cont) • Local planning commissions SHALL ensure the TAXING jurisdictions are NOT SPLIT by subdivision development. • Absent planning legislate or rule make that Professional Engineers or Surveyors advise their clients the subdivision lot lines SHALL NOT SPLIT the taxing jurisdiction
17. Contact Information • Arkansas Geographic Information Office • 1 Capitol Mall Ste 2B900 Little Rock, AR 72203 • PH (501) 682-2767 • http://www.gis.arkansas.gov