Unit 5 students and parents may see changes related to enrollment and school boundaries, but it's too soon to predict what they might be, and organizers of an online forum Monday night said they don't expect "all or nothings," "enrollment cliffs" or other radical developments.
The forum hosted by Unit 5 and Cropper GIS laid out the criteria, process and a timeline for the enrollment planning study, including a web site, unit5enrollmentplanning.com, where interested parties can see progress and submit feedback. There's also croppermap.com/unit5 that displays "planning blocks" along with current elementary, junior high and high school boundaries.
The meeting was the first in a series of open forums that accompany the web sties so residents can see in real time how plans develop.
Another virtual meeting is set for Dec. 10, where draft facility concepts will be shared with the public. And an on-site meeting on Feb. 19 will share more comprehensive recommendations.
It's unlikely there will be much in the way of proposed boundary details until after the December meeting.
The final recommendation is scheduled to go to the board of education March 18 for action April 15.
As for when recommendations would go into effect, that depends on the recommendations themselves. It's possible some could be implemented in the 2026-27 school year. If they're complicated, they may delayed a year, said superintendent Kristen Weikle.
The study doesn't consider cost, but focuses on eight criteria:
— Balancing school utilization and efficient use of space;
— Consider economic, cultural and ethnic diversity.
— Proximity to a student's home;
— Maximize busing efficiencies, including travel time, commuting patterns and costs;
— "Make every effort" to establish contiguous zones;
— Allow for future growth and increasing attendance in high-growth areas;
— Minimize impact on students; and
— Use major roads and natural boundaries to minimize requiring students to cross major intersections.
Matthew Cropper, head of Cropper GIS, said balancing those factors is important, and focusing too much on one factor could hurt others.
"If we only focus on one element of that criteria, such as demographics, you start to get further away from other criteria, and students traveling farther to school, transportation efficiency and those other elements," Cropper said.
Questions submitted online included a concern about if there's a downturn at State Farm or Rivian, or an "enrollment cliff" where there could be a sudden drop in the number of Unit 5 students.
Cropper said the study will look at numerous factors including demographics and populations and the trends around them, but that it's unusual to experience a sudden change without some sort of warning.
"One of our demographers says enrollment and demography is like super tanker, not a speedboat. Things don't just change in one year's time," he said.
Weikle added there is development, including subdivisions, townhouses and apartments, within Unit 5's borders.
"We are trying to look ahead to make sure that we are well prepared for the future students who will come into Unit 5 schools just by the nature of those areas being more developed," she said.
It's too early to say which areas are most likely to be affected, but officials said they committed to making data available — not just conclusions — as the work proceeds.
Students who are affected may have a grace period. Weikle said in the last study, students within a grade or two of graduating were allowed to finish at their original school. Cropper said it's common practice to let a student finish out the last year — particularly in higher grades, though families might be responsible for their own transportation.
The study was approved in September and costs $112,000. Cropper GIS also completed a capacity study for the district in April 2024. Cropper's work does not consider cost for the recommendations that may come out of the study.
