Williamsburg-James City County Schools on Tuesday released proposed new school zone maps in response to community feedback and, in some cases, sharp criticism of the redistricting plan.
If approved, the proposal would mean about 16% of WJCC students would have to change schools; that doesn't include students who are on schedule to graduate or moving to middle or high school already.
Though the new maps adjust how the division would reshuffle students across several schools, some of the concerns community groups raised in May remain.
Members of the Village Initiative, a group of residents and parents that advocates for school equity, said the May proposal would deepen economic inequalities in the division and further concentrate students of color at certain schools. Under those maps, for example, Matthew Whaley Elementary would go from 47% to 59% students of color, James River from 54% to 60% and DJ Montague from 47% to 59%. The three would have also seen more economically disadvantaged students.
The August maps make no changes to the plan for James River and Matthew Whaley; the zones for Norge and Stonehouse elementaries are also unchanged. James Blair and Toano middle schools and Jamestown High School are also the same.
DJ Montague, however, would see a slight decrease in the percentage of economically disadvantaged students and students of color and more English language learners. Several other school zones were tweaked to keep more students from certain neighborhoods together as they moved into middle and high school.
Division leaders, though, say they’re grappling with competing interests in crafting the zones.
WJCC’s guiding principles for the process considers ethnic and socioeconomic diversity in schools; attempts to streamline bus routes as schools throughout the region struggle to find bus drivers; it wants to reduce disruption and keep students together as they progress; and it wants to ensure school populations are balanced into the future. Some schools are already overcrowded, such as Stonehouse Elementary, and are located in parts of the community that are quickly growing.
The division is also opening new preschool centers for the 2027-28 school year, which will free up dozens of classrooms at some elementary schools while leaving others near or over capacity. But some preschool classes are in portable units and WJCC wants to phase them out for security concerns. That means once those are removed, there isn’t additional space gained at those schools once the new centers open.
The Village Initiative board members told WHRO in May they believed those goals can be achieved while ensuring greater demographic balance and proper resources for students with greater needs. Several members also fear the proposal could worsen achievement gaps for students with greater needs could worsen achievement gaps and create uneven teacher workloads.
Administrators say resources will be reallocated as necessary to serve WJCC students and meet their individual needs.
“Our goal tonight is not to suggest that every community will agree with every boundary,” Keever said to the school board on Tuesday. “Rather, it is to demonstrate that this process has been thoughtful, data-informed, responsive to public input and grounded in the guiding principles established by this board.”
The maps are available online, and a community survey will launch today and remain open until August 16. Keever is expected to present the final recommendation to the school board in mid-September and present a plan on how to move students while minimizing impact in early October.
The school board is scheduled to vote on new attendance zones Oct. 20.
WJCC is a member of HRETA, which owns WHRO’s broadcast license.
