Dear Shady Grove Elementary Parents,

As most of you know, the new elementary school is nearing completion at the back entrance to Wyndham.  It will open for students next Fall.  This month, Henrico County Public Schools designated a special volunteer Redistricting Committee to represent each of the area schools.  This group is tasked with developing attendance boundaries options for a School Board decision this December.  For more details on the Redistricting process, go to www.henrico.k12.va.us/boundaries/.  This site contains all the same data and maps which the committee uses to develop their options.

The Redistricting Committee has met two times thus far, and most recently proposed draft options for the new boundaries that were reviewed at this week's School Board meeting.  Please be aware that NO DECISIONS will be made until December, and that open discussions are continuing.  That means that no matter what you hear until then, it has not yet been determined which neighborhoods will feed which schools.

Some of the points that the committee is considering in their boundary proposals include:

TRANSPORTATION:  How children get to school is an important issue to take into consideration.  Do neighborhoods use the bus, do children walk or ride bikes?  Some HCPS schools have no walkers or bikers due to where the school is located.  The solution needs to focus on safety and efficiency.

ENROLLMENT:  Shady Grove at this time has room to add students.  HCPS has estimated that if we maintained our current boundaries, SGES would be at 85% projected membership, whereas Rivers Edge and Colonial Trail are both projected to grow to over 135% in the next six years.

COMMUNITY:  How important is it to keep whole communities attending the same school?  There are many examples in HCPS boundaries that split neighborhoods between schools with success.

The next Public Meeting is Thursday, October 4 at 6pm in the Deep Run High School gymnasium.  The current proposed boundary maps will be on display and public comments will be gathered.

If you have any input you would like to share with the Redistricting Committee prior to the Public Meeting, please e-mail it to boundaries@henrico.k12.va.us

Please stay involved, informed, and continue to provide your valuable feedback.  It is through this open communication that a logical, sound boundary proposal will be created.

Thank you,

Sue Manley

SGES PTA President