This story was reported and written by WHRO media partner Williamsburg Watch.
More than half the parents whose kids attend Williamsburg-James City County schools appear to be unaware that a redistricting plan is in the works.
The consulting firm guiding the process told the school board Tuesday that 52% of the nearly 2,300 families it surveyed were not aware that redistricting would occur in 2027.
But those who answered the survey told MGT Consulting that keeping their children in their local schools was the second most important criterion for them, after teacher quality.
School officials launched the redistricting project to maximize school capacity after the five preschool classrooms of the Bright Beginnings program go into operation in 2027.
Attendance is not projected to grow substantially over the next decade, prompting School Superintendent Daniel Keever to tell Williamsburg and James City County leaders there is no need to build a new school for at least a decade.
But population growth patterns will cause overcrowding at three elementary schools in the system if students aren’t shifted elsewhere, school officials say.
Stonehouse Elementary is already over its 772-pupil capacity, with more than 800 students this year, according to school figures. Enrollment would grow to 900 in five years if nothing is changed.
Matthew Whaley Elementary is also above capacity, with more growth projected. D.J. Montague’s enrollment is projected to exceed capacity in 2028.
The other schools are under capacity and projected to remain that way.
The redistricting process must take into account different, often conflicting objectives, the consultants told the school board. Those include minimizing disruption to students, making sure all students have access to similar facilities and minimizing transportation problems.
Another factor would be adjusting feeder patterns from elementary to middle and then high schools, so that students remain with their friends as they advance through the grades. The more than 3,000 students who were also surveyed said this was the most important factor for them.
For the 786 staff who responded to the survey, small class sizes and caseloads were the No. 1 priority.
Michael T. Hosang, who represents the Stonehouse district on the school board, said the area is growing so much that not all students who move in will be able to attend Stonehouse or Norge Elementary.
“Families are going to have to start thinking about this,” he said.
Several board members expressed concern that a potentially large number of families were unaware of the redistricting plans.
Lack of public awareness seems to be a common issue in the area. The James City County Board of Supervisors took heat this year from residents who said they had not heard of the coming new government center, even though it had been discussed publicly for four years.
To avoid a similar issue on redistricting, Keever vowed “to communicate broadly that this is something that is happening (to) keep it in front of folks.”
Roberts District representative Daniel R. Cavazos asked if the administration knew how many students might be affected.
Keever said those numbers would surface as the redistricting study gets underway.
