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Show New boundaries may split Clinton By KRIS JOHNSON Staff Writer FARMINGTON The question ques-tion over who goes to which high school has been brought to the attention at-tention of parents and students in north Davis County, where an advisory ad-visory committee has recommended boundaries for a new high school. Due to rapid growth patterns in northern Davis County, high school boundary adjustments will be necessary for students who attend Clearfield, Davis and Layton high schools, said a spokesman for the Davis County School Board. In addition, ad-dition, the city of Clinton could be figuratively split, with its students going two directions. A 1 5-member advisory com mittee made up of parents and community leaders, who have been studying the boundary issue for the past few months, presented its recommendations rec-ommendations Tuesday to the Davis County School Board. The idea for boundary changes was initiated as the result of a new high school being built in Layton to accommodate the population boom. The new school is scheduled to open in the fall of 1992, said consultant consul-tant Darrell White, who assisted the advisory committee in the Northern Davis Area High School Boundary Study. The advisory committee took many factors into consideration during dur-ing its boundary adjustment evaluation evalua-tion such as socio-economic balances, bal-ances, natural boundaries, safety, SEE BOUNDARY ON A-2 Grant Steed, administrative assistant assis-tant to the superintendent, said the school board and advisory committee com-mittee is working diligently to bring the 17 percent up at Sunset Junior High to balance out the number of students who will be separated. The advisory committee recommended recom-mended a six-year phase-in program pro-gram for students in the area affected af-fected by the new boundary between be-tween Layton and Davis high schools, to make their transition easier, said Kendell. Those students who would have attended Kaysville Junior high and moved on to Davis High, will attend Central Davis Junior High in the future and then go to Layton High. The students will be phased into the schools over a six-year period beginning with incoming seventh graders in the 1992-93 school year. The advisory committee also recommended that those students who will be seniors for the 1992-93 Boundary CONTINUED FROM A-l residential growth, and enrollment projections, said White. After carefully reviewing all of the factors, the advisory committee drew the new boundary lines for Northern Davis County. The advisory committee was challenged at Tuesday's school board meeting by a parent who expressed ex-pressed concern about one of the boundary lines that divides the community of Clinton. Jenae Jackson said she was concerned con-cerned about the possibility of her children going to an elementary and junior high with a group of kids for nine years and being fractioned off to a different school during their high school years. students go to the new school. Her son would be one of the 17 percent who would be fractioned off to Clearfield High, instead of the new school. With respect to Jackson's concern con-cern about the psychological impact imposed on the children who are fractioned off, Supt. Rich Kendell said that it's hard to answer questions ques-tions about the emotional and psychological aspects because every child is so different. "Some kids may not be affected at all by a boundary change, and other kids may have a difficult experience. ex-perience. There are a dozen answers to what the psychological impacts could be. It all depends on the individual in-dividual child's perception and the response of their family. If the family fami-ly is supportive of the child and encourages en-courages the kid by telling himher that it will be a positive experience, the transition will be less difficult," Kendell said. High School Enrollment rtr Capacity Projections f Based on Boundaries Recommeded I JLJ 1 by the Davis County School Board lLMdJ High 1990-91 1992-93 1992-93 1997-98 School A B it&u 2,113 1,773 1 ,947 2,2 1 8 lm'wjyJn''"fV EXTENDED CAPAClfYT2,513 r"";! EXTENDED CAPACITY: 2,380: iMBllBMH JMmmm J tim i NA 1 ,834 1 ,393 2,447 HIGH j T? , mUT EXTENDED CAPACITY: 2,600 1 ,820 1 ,9 1 2 1 ,9 1 2 1 ,827 IIiull r.Vi '"!'' EXTENDED CAPACITY: 2,042; loTAL 5,970 7,186 7,186 8,496 rJJJm J" EXTENDED CAPACITY: 9,535j A: Seniors moving with new boundaries for 1992-93 B: Seniors remaining at Clearfield and Layton for 1992-93 school year remain at Clearfield and Layton high schools, and all students, living in the boundaries of the new high school, who will be sophomores or juniors attend the new high school. Enrollment capacity would exceed ex-ceed their limits if the sophomores and juniors are allowed to stay at their old high school, said White. The actual enrollment at Clearfield Clear-field High School, where capacity is 2,039 students, is at 2,113. At Davis High the capacity is 1,599 and actual ac-tual enrollment is 1,820; and Layton has a capacity of 1,891 and an actual ac-tual enrollment of 2,037. The new high school has a capacity of 2,200. The design capacity for the three schools stands at 5,529, yet the actual ac-tual enrollment almost exceeds 6,000. Moreover, enrollment for the 1996-97 school year is projected to increase to 8,351, which will exceed ex-ceed the total design capacity by 2,822 students. The new school's capacity of 2,200 will increase the total school design capacity of the four northern high schools to 7,729, and the extended ex-tended capacity to 9,535. Hence, the new high school will provide sufficient suffi-cient capacity to handle the projected pro-jected enrollments, said White. A decision which consumed considerable con-siderable committee time and effort was the boundary line that runs by Mutton Hollow Road in Kaysville. The line borders the south boundary of Layton High and the north boundary boun-dary of Davis High, White said. The committee had a hard time making the decision because some of the property in that area covers unincorporated Davis County property, prop-erty, he said. A joint meeting of representatives represen-tatives from Kaysville, Layton and Davis County was held, and they agreed to draw the line one lot south of Mutton Hollow Road, said Kendell. After a lengthy and careful review, the committee voted to recommend rec-ommend the boundary be set on the border along Mutton Hollow Road, to accommodate potential growth in "I'm aware that you have to look at the socio-economic factors and the numbers, but have you looked at the emotional aspect and the psychological impact that this boundary change might have on the children and their self-esteem? I want to make sure that the psychological and emotional aspects have been looked at," she said. Jackson was responding to the committee's recommendation that 83 percent of Sunset Junior High "After dozens of boundary changes in the district, our experience experi-ence is that the vast majority of children make the transition without difficulty," he added. Most of the junior highs in the Davis district send their graduates into more than one high school, said Kendell. "We have more kids that are in split junior highs than we do on the other pattern. A junior high school feeder program has become the norm," he said. the area, said Kendell. "The committee reasoned that Davis High School had fewer options op-tions to accommodate growth and was already over capacity. So the plan was to send future high school students in that area to Layton High," he said. "It's not just the number of kids, but what about potential growth that area has a growing population. We need to get ourselves in the mind set that growth will be dictating dic-tating future policies," Kendell said. No official decisions were made on the recommendations at Tuesday's meeting. However, public pub-lic meetings to hear the reactions of parents affected by the recommended recom-mended changes were scheduled. Public hearings will be held May 7, at Clearfield High School, and May 21, at Layton High School. The school board will take final action ac-tion June 1 8. After the boundaries for the new high school are approved, the district will form a committee to select the school's name, colors and mascot, said Sandra Wilkins, director direc-tor of community relations for the board. The process for selecting a principal prin-cipal for the new high school has also begun, she said. |