Say NO to Short-Sighted Redistricting

We the undersigned residents of Fairfield, Connecticut, respectfully request that our Board of Education REFRAIN FROM permanently redistricting Stratfield or any other schools for the upcoming school year, for the following reasons:

·       The board's March 24 deadline does not provide sufficient time to prepare a well-thought-out redistricting plan. 

·       The 5-School proposal arbitrarily divides neighborhoods in the Jennings, McKinley, North Stratfield, and Stratfield districts.

·       The Stratfield-to-McKinley-only redistricting proposal unfairly singles out a small number of children to go to a new school and pushes class sizes at McKinley over guidelines. 

·       Stratfield deserves the same consideration given to Sherman and Osborne Hill, where the board has said it will wait for expansion projects to be completed before making changes to attendance boundaries.

·      A feasibility committee is currently exploring the possible expansion of Fairfield Woods Middle School, so its future capacity is unknown--and any redistricting plan must take into consideration middle school feeder patterns.

·      Stratfield's overcrowding may be temporary. Enrollment projections for the facility are actually trending downward. The construction project replaces four portables with four classrooms, plus adds four new classrooms, two music rooms, art and science rooms, and ample pt/ot space. We urge the board to pursue a temporary solution now and review enrollment once construction is complete.