Thursday night, Frisco Independent School District officials hosted a preview of the rezoning process for four new schools that will open in the fall of 2016.
The new schools include Lebanon Trail high school. It will potentially impact zones of Liberty, Independence, Centennial and Frisco high schools.
Nelson Middle School potentially impacts zones of Roach, Maus and Scoggins middle schools.
Miller Elementary School in Little Elm could impact zones of Robertson, Phillips and Newman elementary schools.
Vaughn Elementary School would possibly affect students at Hosp and Nichols elementary schools.
The rezoning process is unsettling for many families, including the Ericsons, whose daughter attends Clark Middle School.
“You move to a place and you want to have some stability with regard to knowing where your kids are going to be going to school and the expectations for you as a parent,” said Kevin Ericson.
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According to FISD, in the past 20 years, FISD has opened, on average, three schools a year and remains one of the fastest growing school districts in the state and nation.
The district’s model includes a commitment to smaller high schools relative to the area, therefore, rezoning happens on an annual basis.
In some cases, new boundary lines have split neighborhoods in half.
“Some of these neighborhoods are so big, that you can't just say, 'well, that neighborhood stays at this school.' You actually have to go into an alleyway and say 'the houses on the right go to old school. The houses on the left go to the new school.' It can be painful,” said Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Lyon.
On average, 3,300 new students enter FISD each year and rezoning could be required every year.
“We are going to be doing this quite a bit in the coming years,” added Lyon.
Enrollment projections are being updated and proposed zones for new schools and any modifications needed to existing schools will be published at the October 19 regular meeting of the board.
Parents and community members will be able to voice their opinions on the plans at the November regular board meeting.
