Boundary Change Maps
Jump to Specific Schools
- Crest Drive
- Meadowlark
- Parker
- Coburg
- Willamette Gardens area
- Twin Oaks IS NOT CLOSING
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the process for the school closures, mergers and boundary changes?
The district has formed a central school closure/merger/move team to oversee the process. Each school and each situation is unique, and the scale of transitions may range from a simple welcoming of new students to a complete school makeover. However, there will be common elements of each process:
- For each merger, the schools will form a joint transition team including parents, teachers and staff from both schools.
- Other opportunities for the school communities to come together may include joint site council meetings, joint parent group meetings, special events, and more.
- The district will work closely with each school to settle all the details for the move and merger.
- Parents will be kept informed as the plan develops and details are decided.
- Families of all affected students at closing schools have been sent letters with more information.
See below for specific information about each school closure, merger and boundary change.
How will transfer students be accommodated?
- Students currently attending a closing school on a transfer may:
- enroll at the receiving school if space is available,
- enroll at their own neighborhood school, or
- enter the regular school choice lottery if they wish to enroll at a different school.
- Letters with more information have been sent to every affected student’s family.
- Families have been asked to notify the district of their enrollment plans for next year.
- If more current transfer students wish to move with their cohort to the receiving school than can be accommodated, the district will conduct a special lottery (well in advance of the regular school choice application deadline, so families will have time to request other school choices if they wish).
Will teachers from closing schools move with the students?
There are staffing processes in place both for school mergers and for staff reductions. Teachers at closing schools will be able to request to move with the school’s students, if a suitable position is available at the school, or to another open position in the district. This process will begin in April.
Will the merged schools be renamed?
The joint transition team for any of the schools may decide to propose that the school be renamed, and the school board will consider the proposal.
What is the difference between a merger and a consolidation?
The terms are used interchangeably.
What will be done with closing schools’ technology equipment?
Teachers will be able to take their laptop to their new school. Other equipment that is needed at the receiving school (such as SMART Boards, projectors, COWs, iPods, etc.) will generally follow the students from the closed school. Where students are split into two receiving schools, the equipment will be divided equitably. Any unneeded or duplicated equipment will be distributed to other schools using a process that has yet to be determined.
What are some ways to talk to my student about his/her school closing?
If your family is affected by a school closure, it will help your student if you are positive about the future. Here are some ideas for how to talk to your kids about this transition:
- Moving to a new school is like moving to a new house. It seems strange at first, but soon you will feel it is your very own special place.
- A lot of your friends will be at the new school.
- It is a chance to meet new friends.
- You will know more students when you go to middle school, so the transition will be easier. (Coburg, Crest, Parker–Edgewood)
- Teachers at your new school are looking forward to meeting you.
- Your new school is working hard to ensure you will be in a great classroom with a super teacher.
A visit to the playground on a sunny weekend day can be a great way to introduce your child to their new school.
Parents and guardians are welcome to visit their new neighborhood school or any other 4J school during the School Choice Visitation Weeks, Feb. 28–Mar. 4 and Mar. 14–18. If you plan to request a transfer, elementary school choice request forms are due to the 4J Instructional Services office by April 22 at 5:00 p.m.
School Merger Details
Planning is underway for six school mergers of varying degrees:
- This merger involves the largest number of students moving to a single new school. There are 219 kindergarten through fourth grade (K–4) students currently enrolled at Crest Drive. 83 are transfer students from somewhere other than the Adams neighborhood.
- The joint transition team will develop a plan to bring the best qualities of Adams and Crest together and create a new, merged school.
- The Crest Drive attendance area will merge with the Adams attendance area.
- A small area of what is now Crest (affecting 13 current Crest K–4 students) will become part of the Edgewood attendance area.
- Middle school boundaries will remain the same. The areas of Crest and Adams that are currently part of the Spencer Butte Middle School attendance area will remain Spencer Butte. The areas of Crest and Adams that are currently part of the Arts & Technology Academy attendance area will remain ATA. The area of Adams that is currently a part of the Roosevelt attendance area will remain Roosevelt.
- Adams is expected to have capacity for all of the Crest Drive transfer students who wish to enroll there.
Meadowlark merger with Willagillespie
- This is the second-largest number of students moving to a single new school. 163 K–4 students are now enrolled at Meadowlark. 24 have transferred from somewhere other than Willagillespie.
- The Meadowlark attendance area will merge with the Willagillespie attendance area.
- Middle school boundaries will remain the same. This area remains part of the Monroe Middle School attendance area.
- Willagillespie can accommodate some but not all of the Meadowlark transfer students who wish to enroll there.
- A special lottery for current transfer students has been held. Students will be placed at the new school in the order determined by that lottery, before any regular school choice requests are accommodated at each grade.
Parker students to Camas Ridge
Parker students to Edgewood
- There are 209 K–4 students currently enrolled at Parker. 70 live in what will be the Camas Ridge attendance area; 88 live in what will be the Edgewood attendance area. 51 are transfer students from somewhere other than the Edgewood or Camas Ridge neighborhoods.
- What is now the Parker neighborhood will be divided and merged with the Camas Ridge and Edgewood neighborhoods.
- Middle school boundaries will remain the same.The area will remain part of the Spencer Butte Middle School attendance area.
- Parker students had an opportunity to request to go to Edgewood instead of Camas Ridge or vice versa, if space was available and their family could provide transportation.
- Camas Ridge can accommodate all of the current Parker transfer students who asked to enroll there.
- Edgewood can accommodate some but not all of the current Parker transfer students who asked to enroll there.
- A special lottery for current transfer students has been held. Students will be placed at the new school in the order determined by that lottery, before any regular school choice requests are accommodated at each grade.
- An alternative high school program will move to the Parker site.
- There are 88 K–4 students currently enrolled at Coburg. 3 are transfer students from somewhere other than the Gilham neighborhood.
- The Coburg school attendance area will merge with the Gilham attendance area (neighborhood).
- Middle school boundaries will remain the same.The area will remain part of the Cal Young Middle School attendance area.
- Some Coburg students are expected to enroll at Coburg Community Charter School.
- Gilham has the capacity for all current Coburg students who wish to enroll there.
Willamette Gardens residents from Willagillespie to Holt and from Cal Young to Monroe
- Boundaries have been redrawn to bring the Willamette Gardens area into the Holt and Monroe attendance area.
- This is an “island” within the Holt Elementary and Monroe Middle School attendance area that was assigned to Willagillespie Elementary and Cal Young Middle School when this area developed because there was not capacity at Holt and Monroe at that time. The long-term intention was to move the area back to the Holt/Monroe attendance area when enrollment and capacity allowed.
- There are 40 K–4 students enrolled at Willagillespie who reside in the Willamette Gardens area. All Willamette Gardens residents who now attend Willagillespie can be accommodated at Holt.
- There are 15 students affected by the middle school boundary change — 7 fifth graders at Willagillespie who will enter middle school next year, and 8 current sixth and seventh graders at Cal Young. All Willamette Gardens residents who now attend Cal Young can be accommodated at Monroe.
- Students had an opportunity to request to stay at Willagillespie or Cal Young, if space was available and their family could provide transportation. Some but not all of these requests can be accommodated; a special lottery was held to determine the order in which requests would be granted.
- The board did not act on a recommendation to close Twin Oaks in 2012.
