Arguably, the most noticeable and primary change by Clarkston School’s recent redistricting was the redistribution of the student population. All other changes stem from the number of students at each school.
In a report made to the board of education on Dec. 13, 2004, the primary reasons for redrawing school boundary lines within the district were:
? Added classroom space to Pine Knob Elementary
? Best utilization of all seven elementary schools
? Ensuring that each school had dedicated rooms for art, music and science
? Accommodating future growth.
A 2003 bond allowed six new classrooms to be built in Pine Knob Elementary, which made room for additional students. At the time of completion, other elementary schools including Bailey Lake, Clarkston , and Independence and North Sashabaw were near or above their student population capacity. With the new plans, students from schools nearing capacity would be relocated to schools with extra room.
Unaudited student enrollment counts from Sept. 2004 show that before the changes went into place, Pine Knob Elementary had 404, students enrolled. With the additional classrooms finished, the PKE building has a capacity of 525-565 students. Additionally, Andersonville Elementary had additional room for between 70- 90 additional students.
At the same time, Bailey Lake Elementary, which has a capacity of 550-590 students, reported having 593 students enrolled.
Likewise, Clarkston Elementary reported 486 enrolled students with the school’s capacity being 470 and Independence Elementary reported 624 students, which was above the school’s capacity of 615.
Plans were developed to change boundary lines for several schools, which would relocate students living in the effected areas.
Plan (a) moved students from Bailey Lake to Pine Knob.
Plan (b) moved student from Clarkston to Pine Knob.
Plans (c) and (d) moved students from Springfield Plains to Clarkston.
Plan (e) moved students from Springfield Plains to Andersonville.
Plan (f) moved students from Independence to Springfield Plains.
With the changes in place, the unaudited Sept. 2005 student enrollment numbers show how the redistribution effected student populations.
Andersonville Elementary showed an increase of 50 students over the previous year, and still has room for 20-40 additional students before reaching capacity.
Bailey Lake reported 517 enrolled students, with the school now having extra room for an additional 33-73 students.
Clarkston Elementary reported 423 students, down 63 from the previous year and below the school’s capacity.
‘We continue to see some of the families that have moved to Pine Knob as they visit our building for afterschool activities such as Brownies and Scouts,? said CE Principal Dana Pennanen. ‘It seems like everyone has adjusted very well to the changes.?
Independence Elementary reported 594 students, dropping the student population to within the school’s capacity range.
‘The change has helped us with overall use of our building,? said Chris Tuner, IE Principal. ‘For example, bringing the whole school together for an assembly is more manageable and the cafeteria is less crowded for students.?
Pine Knob Elementary gained the largest number of students, showing an increase of 151 students over the previous year to fall within the school’s new capacity range.
‘Students and staff at Pine Knob are settled in and our focus remains on student learning,? said PKE Principal K.C. Leh.
Springfield Plains Elementary was already running below capacity, but reported a population decrease to 560 enrolled students
‘The plan allowed us to have room for growth. According to the Springfield Township clerk, we have over 380 sites ready for homes to be built,? said SPE Principal Sharon Devereax. ‘It is good to know that in the next few years we will be able to accommodate some of that growth without losing our dedicated rooms again, which, in the past, has happened several times during our 12 years of existence.?
Of the seven schools, North Sashabaw Elementary was the only one not effected by the changes, but the school reported an increase in student population from 399 in 2004 to 441 in 2005. The school’s normal capacity range is reported to be 400-420.
According to Geraldine Moore, executive director of Pre-K and Elementary Education, no changes were made to North Sashabaw Elementary because of the projected growth in the area.
In an e-mail to The Clarkston News, Anita Banach, director of communications and marketing, stated, ‘The trend at NSE tends to be a more cyclical ‘move in and move out? population. With this is mind, we keep a watch on the building to make sure it does not reach a point where we are not able to keep our classroom contractual size goals.?
Banach also indicated that classes at NSE are below class size goals in every grade except third grade.