SUN Boundary Process Explanation & Implications

Overview of proposed changes to the elementary school enrollment process in the Stapleton, Denver CO neighborhood. Also discusses implications for the broader community.

Transcript

1. Proximity Zone Boundary Process: Explanation & Implications My kids are already in school, why should I care about this? or
2. The SUN proposal divides Stapleton’s shared boundary into sub-neighborhood “priority zones” vs. 1 Stapleton Divided Stapleton
3. Residents in a given sub-neighborhood receive a guaranteed allocation of 25% of available seats. vs. 1 Stapleton Divided Stapleton
4. OK, so why should I care? 25% doesn’t seem like a big deal…
5. The 25% allocation may be increased in the future. https://sites.google.com/site/sunwebsite1/education/elementary-enrollment-subcommittee See Sun Education website: “Proposed Stapleton Elementary School Priorities” Many residents believe this is a step toward replacing the Stapleton shared boundary with traditional DPS boundaries
6. The proposed 25% allocation could have major impacts on enrollment chances & home values
7. Let’s take the example from the SUN Education website to see how the process could play out at a high-demand school like Swigert.
8. Assumptions (SUN example, Swigert data) • 150 first choice applications (Swigert #s) • 100 Kindergarten seats (4 classes) • 40 seats taken by siblings of current students • 60 seats leftover • 15 of 60 seats allocated to priority zone students • 45 seats remain for All-Stapleton boundary lotto (including the priority zone families that did not get a seat in the special proximity zone lotto) • 33% applicants in-zone, 67% out-of-zone
9. 40% Current Boundary Process chance for all Stapleton students SUN formula / Swigert scenario
10. 63% Proposed Priority Zone Process Central Park North & West vs. 33% Bill Roberts, Westerly Creek & Izzy Bird Zones SUN formula / Swigert scenario
11. Proposed Priority Zone Process This doesn’t include the cumulative effects of seats guaranteed to siblings. SUN formula / Swigert scenario
12. 100% Standard DPS Boundaries Central Park North & West vs. 5% Bill Roberts, Westerly Creek & Izzy Bird Zones Based on data from the School Choice Transparency Committee Report
13. Could Unequal Access to Schools Impact Home Values? (The SUN committee talked to Joe Phillips. They say we have nothing to worry about…)
14. Isabella Bird is Not Complete • Most residents believe Izzy B will be a strong performing school on par with other Stapleton schools. • Izzy B will not serve all ECE-5 grades until 2017. • It will be take a few years to establish performance.
15. Contrary to the SUN Committee Position Priority Zones will Impact Home Values • Numerous studies (and common knowledge) show a link between schools and home values. • A study of 57 metros, 10,811 elementary school zones, and 407,509 home sales concluded: http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2013/09/ paying-more-for-a-house-with-a-top-public-school-its-elementary.html When accounting for size, on average, people pay $50 more per square foot for homes in top-ranked school zones. (Redfin) • Izzy B is promising, but still an unknown for potential home buyers with young families.
16. Sub-Neighborhoods with Established Schools and Known Performance Have a Clear Advantage http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2013/09/paying-more-for-a-house-with-a-top-public-school-its-elementary.html
17. 2013 Study of Schools & Property Values • Home prices average $50/sq. ft. more for top-ranked school zones vs. average-ranked school areas. • Essentially identical homes located near each other but served by different schools can vary in price from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2013/09/paying-more-for-a-house-with-a-top-public-school-its-elementary.html
18. Until Izzy B is up and running in Stapleton and has the opportunity to establish a performance track-record Eastbridge residents home values will be negatively impacted.
19. Please sign the online petition! Ask DPS to engage the community as they’ ve done on other boundary decisions. GPH / S Middle School SUN / DPS Elementary Difference # of Meetings 30 6 − 24 meetings Meeting Hours 46 12? − 34 mtg hrs Process Timeline 15.5 months 4 months − 11 months Final Proposal Feedback Meetings (30+ days) Online Survey (10 days) − 20+ days
20. Please sign the online petition at StapletonSchools.com Questions? info@stapletonschools.com
21. Notes on the Scenario Models • The spreadsheet used for the scenario models was shared with SUN subcommittee along with a request to talk to a DPS resource with access to data. • Update: The DPS Planning Office is running numbers on the implications of the SUN proposal. These numbers are critical for the community to make an informed decision. These materials will be updated when it becomes available.