After taking action on high school boundary changes, the South Washington County School District now is turning its attention to elementary school boundary shifts.
Key to the discussion is the district's takeover of Valley Crossing Community School in Woodbury beginning in the 2016-17 school year.
According to a timeline on the district's website — www.sowashco.org — South Washington County plans to convene a Valley Crossing attendance boundary design team in August to create at least two boundary options for consideration at community meetings in September.
The design team will include assistant superintendent Mike Vogel, transportation director Ron Meyer and the principals of Valley Crossing, Middleton and Liberty Ridge elementary schools, among others, the district said.
After collecting information on the two options, the design team will present a Valley Crossing boundary proposal for school board action in October.
In November, the district said, the design team will be expanded to include elementary school principals from elsewhere in the district for the purpose of creating districtwide elementary boundaries. Two to three alternatives are expected to be identified in December, with community review to follow and eventual school board action set for February.
The boundary changes are to go into effect in 2017-18 for Woodbury elementary schools, including Valley Crossing, and in 2018-19 for Cottage Grove, Newport and St. Paul Park elementary schools, a district news release said.
The school board is holding off on middle school boundary shifts until voters decide the fate this fall of a proposal to build a new Oltman Middle School in Cottage Grove. If the bond vote is successful, the district would craft middle school boundary changes for the start of the 2018-19 school year.
