Redistricting Plans Should Be Finished In Two Weeks

Superintendent Paul Kadri said he should have a final redistricting plan done in about two weeks to present to the Board of Education.

Kadri updated the board Monday, saying he had met with transportation officials to make minor changes to the plan submitted last week.

T effort to preserve neighborhoods while bringing the schools closer to compliance with the state’s racial balance laws. Groton is facing redistricting to consolidate from three middle schools to two, and to correct a racial imbalance at Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School.

The plan would shift elementary students to create just enough space at Catherine Kolnaski school to accept more magnet students.

The idea is to have Charles Barnum Elementary and Mary Morrisson Elementary pick up students from Pleasant Valley, so Pleasant Valley can take neighborhood children out of Catherine Kolnaski Magnet, freeing up space.

Kadri gave these updates to the plan Monday:

• Kings Highway, Bonnie Circle and Maple Drive would go from Mary Morrisson Elementary to Claude Chester.

• The west side of Meridian Street, now assigned to Mary Morrisson, would go to Pleasant Valley.

• Meridian Street Extension would go to Claude Chester.

• Mary Morrisson would be split; about half of the students would be from the area around Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School, and half would be from neighborhoods serving military families.

• Students from Midway Oval would remain at Claude Chester, and students from Ring Drive would continue to be assigned to S.B. Butler.

Kadri said transportation officials are also considering assigning students from Ensign Drive to Butler, although this has not been decided. Kadri said he would  meet next with the person who designed the town’s mapping, or GIS system, to go over the plans.

Students would be assigned to middle school this way: those at Claude Chester, Northeast Academy and S.B. Butler would go to Cutler Middle School; those at Catherine Kolnaski, Charles Barnum, Pleasant Valley and Mary Morrisson would go to West Side.

Wes Greenleaf, director of buildings and grounds for the public schools, said plans for the portable classrooms at Cutler and West Side are almost finished. 

He said the district should be able to go out to bid in about six weeks