Parents to weigh in on redistricting Hanover elementary schools

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Updated: March 20, 2012 8:21AM

CEDAR LAKE — Parents will have the opportunity to comment on their choice of three possible redistricting options for Jane Ball and Lincoln elementary schools in the Hanover Community School Corp.

Unbalanced enrollment at the two elementaries that will push Jane Ball over its 600 student capacity for the 2012-2013 school year and a desire to return kindergarten to Jane Ball are among the reasons officials are tackling the redistricting. The public meetings are scheduled at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Jane Ball and 7 p.m. Thursday at Lincoln.

Mary Joan Dickson, school board president, said the corporation has no other choice but to determine the best way to more equally balance the enrollment at the two schools with minimal effect on busing, travel times and students. She said the move of all kindergarten students to Lincoln to ease overcrowding a few years ago was only a stopgap measure as officials determined the best way to move forward.

“Now we have to look at redistricting. We have no choice,” Dickson said.

The school corporation, which has a large rural demographic, faces certain challenges in coming up with a solution. Dickson said a committee with representatives from the public, each school, school officials and school board members was tasked with looking into the demographics and considering the options and came up with three solutions.

“We need to move 150 students from Jane Ball to Lincoln,” she said.

Right now there are 414 students at Lincoln including kindergarteners. There are 533 students at Jane Ball. Both buildings have an approximate capacity of 600 students. Dickson said the problem intensifies in the coming school year when those kindergarteners migrate to first grade.

Only five of the current kindergarteners at Lincoln will remain there for first grade. The rest of those students will be returning to Jane Ball. That means in the coming school year Jane Ball will have about 670 students if a redistricting plan is not reached while Lincoln will have about 319.

According to the corporation’s website, Option I will move 148 students from Monastery, Brunswick and Wicker Meadows and the surrounding areas to Lincoln’s territory. Option II would take 151 students from Havenwood and south to Lake Shore Drive ending at Brady’s Funeral Home to Lincoln.

The third option would add 153 students to the Lincoln territory from the area south of 117th Avenue ending at Brady’s Funeral Home and bordered by Cline Avenue and the railroad tracks. The redistricting maps are available on the corporation’s website.