Eliminating Busing for Desegregation in the Wichita Public Schools

Eliminating Busing for Desegregationin the Wichita Public SchoolsApproved by the Wichita Board of Education January 28, 20081) Busing for desegregation purposes will bediscontinued effective with the 2008-09 schoolyear.2) Commencing with the 2008-09 school year, allstudents will be allowed to attend theirneighborhood school. This includes neighborhoodmagnet schools, but excludes pure magnet schools.3) For purposes of this recommendation the originalAssigned Attendance Area (AAA) and the peripheralAAA area will jointly be referred to as the “Area”.4) Secondary students:a. who reside in the original AAA area will beassigned to schools based on address untilsuch time as capacity issues have beenaddressed in the original AAA area.b. who reside in the peripheral AAA area will beassigned to attend schools based upongeographic boundary areas that will beestablished for the Peripheral area.5) A strong magnet school program will be maintainedby the Wichita Public Schools in order that familieswill continue to have school choice. Theneighborhood magnet schools located within theAAA and peripheral AAA areas will continue tooperate as neighborhood magnet schools, and thepure magnet schools located within this area willremain in their current format.6) Priority magnet placement will be given in 2008-09,if space is available, to students bused fordesegregation in the 2007-08 school year (seeAttachment A).7) Priority magnet placement will be given to studentswho reside in the Area, subject to space availability,beginning in the 2009-10 school year andcontinuing until such time as capacity issues havebeen addressed in the Area.8) The Gordon Parks Academy will be a neighborhoodK-8 magnet school, and half of the seats in theschool will be guaranteed to students in thedesignated neighborhood. Gordon Parks Academyneighborhood students must still apply through themagnet lottery process due to capacity concerns.The neighborhood boundaries for Gordon ParksAcademy will be the Area. Application will be madefor Gordon Parks Academy to be designated as anInternational Baccalaureate program school.9) Students bused for desegregation purposes in the2007-08 school year to the schools noted inAttachment A, either forced or voluntary, will havethe option to continue attending the school inwhich they were enrolled in 2007-08, as well as thefeeder pattern for that school, through the durationof their education in the Wichita Public Schools. Iftransportation was provided in 2007-08, thatservice will remain. Siblings of such students shallalso have the option to attend the school to whichtheir sibling is bused, and also remain in that feederpattern for the duration of their education in theWichita Public Schools.10) The Board of Education will appoint a BusingOversight Transition Committee to monitor thistransition. This committee will meet at least onceeach nine weeks during the 2008-09 school year,and at least once annually each year thereafter. Areport will be submitted to the BOE following eachmeeting. Each BOE member will appoint twocommunity representatives from their BOE district.The Superintendent will also appoint two members,one of whom will be a staff member responsible forsupporting the committee. This committee will takethe place of the existing Desegregation/DiversityCommittee.

Eliminating Busing for Desegregationin the Wichita Public SchoolsApproved by the Wichita Board of Education January 28, 2008ATTACHMENT A – STUDENTSBUSED IN 2007-08 FORDESEGREGATION PURPOSESCaucasian students bused throughthe birthday lottery to:• Adams• MuellerAfrican-American elementarystudents in the original andperipheral AAA bused to:• Anderson• Beech• Black• Bryant• Cessna• Chisholm Trail• Clark• Cloud• College Hill• Dodge• Enterprise• Franklin• Gammon• Gardiner• Griffith• Harry Street• Hyde• Kelly• Kensler• Lawrence• Lincoln• Linwood• McCollom• McLean• OK• Payne• Peterson• Pleasant Valley• Price-Harris• Riverside• Seltzer• Stanley• White• Woodland• WoodmanAfrican-American middle schoolstudents in the original andperipheral AAA bused to:• Coleman• Curtis• Hadley• Hamilton• Marshall• Mead• Pleasant Valley• Robinson• TruesdellAfrican-American high schoolstudents in the original andperipheral AAA bused to:• East• North• Northwest• South• Southeast• West