Uncertainty Surrounds Redistricting Plans in Fairfield

Even with the looming deadline for addressing racial disparities, school officials appear unlikely to move forward with proposed redistricting plans, despite extensive research and evaluation of redistricting scenarios developed by consulting company SLAM (link here).

The Board of Education recently opted against pursuing any of the five redistricting options (link here) that had been presented. This decision comes in the wake of data collected earlier this month, which indicated that the available classroom space would be insufficient to accommodate the proposed changes to the redistricting plans.

In the coming month, the board plans to draft a resolution summarizing their efforts over the past several months in their quest to identify a redistricting scenario that aligns with state law. This law stipulates that all public schools must maintain a racial minority student population within 25 percentage points of the district-wide average.

Initially, the board’s focus was on redistricting as a means to address the issue of racial imbalance, particularly with the goal of bringing McKinley Elementary School within the required range. However, this endeavor encountered resistance from parents, logistical challenges, and constraints related to classroom availability under the proposed redistricting.