Boundary changes are coming … but NOT for the 2019/20 school year.
Now that voters have approved a bond to build new schools, there is a light at the end of the overcrowded tunnel, and boundaries will not need to be shifted simply to spread out the crowds in 2019/20.
That said, there may be a change this summer as the new apartment complexes across from the Spanaway Walmart are finished and families begin to move in. These apartments are currently in the Shining Mountain Elementary boundaries, a school that is hundreds of students over capacity already. If those boundaries need to be changed, they should only impact the families in those new apartments, and not current students.
The Boundary Committee, that is made up of parents and principals, has recessed until October of this year. At that time, they will begin reviewing the need for possible boundary changes in the 2020/21 school year.
October is when the new enrollment numbers are released, which will give the committee good data to begin their conversations.
They will also begin to review the boundary changes that will need to happen when the new elementary schools are built. Elementary #18 is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2021/22 school year and boundary changes will be necessary to fill all those new classrooms.
One thing the Boundary Committee is committed to, is to work hard to limit the disruption to families, and to make sure that communication is at the forefront, so there will be plenty of time for parents to prepare for the changes that are coming.
You can find links to detailed maps of our current school boundaries below.
