Attendance Boundary Change Procedure

The Boundary Change Team which is comprised of Assistant Superintendents, school principals, educational program managers, Financial Services, Facilities Services Planning and Project Management (Facilities Planning), Transportation Services, Student Services, and Human Resources evaluates the need for attendance boundary changes and prepares proposals, when necessary, for the Board to review each year. The Board may decide change a school's attendance boundary in coordination with Policy 5120 for a couple of reasons, to better fit a school's needs, keep teachers and students safe, and to avoid overcrowding or under utilized facilities.

Demographic shifts may cause some schools to exceed their capacity while leaving other schools under-utilized. One of the several options available to balance student populations and more efficiently utilize the existing schools is to adjust attendance boundaries. There are several examples of previously approved changes...

During the Attendance Boundary Change Process for SY2018-2019 the Board approved the boundary change from Kennedy Middle School to McNair Magnet School at the January 23, 2018 School Board Meeting and Public Hearing as illustrated in the example below.

Growth management is an essential part of the School District's continuing process of ensuring adequate and appropriate facilities are available for the students generated by new residential neighborhoods. Local government agencies submit a development plan to Facilities Planning which defines the projected future number of homes and year of construction. Facilities Planning performs a School Capacity Determination which projects the number of students expected to be generated from the potential new home construction and determines if adequate facilities will be available.

The maps above illustrate the process of determining the projected number of students based on the proposed development, outlining a proposed expansion area to Mims attendance boundary, and the completed new attendance boundaries for the following school year.

In the scenario above, a school concurrency review of a proposed 440 home subdivision in the Mims area determined that 123 new elementary students would be generated from the new homes. This development was located in Pinewood Elementary School attendance boundary but is adjacent to the border of the Mims Elementary School attendance boundary. The current and projected enrollment revealed that the future students could be accommodated at Mims Elementary School, but there is not enough capacity at Pinewood Elementary School.

One of the least disruptive options to balance student populations is to build new capacity, but this is also the most expensive option. For school year, 2020-2021 Brevard Public Schools constructed and opened a new elementary school, Viera Elementary.

Viera Elementary School opened in August, 2020. The purpose of the new school was to alleviate overcrowding at Quest Elementary as residential development in the Viera area has been accelerating. Prior to opening the new school, staff outlined two potential boundary areas for Viera Elementary-"Area A" which was approved to be the attendance boundary for the 2020-2021 school year, while "Area B' was identified as a potential future addition to the Viera Elementary School attendance boundary if needed to balance enrollment. The Board approved changing "Area B" from Quest to Viera for the 2021-2022 school year at the Public Hearing on January 19, 2021.

Staff from the Boundary Change Team evaluates and uses community feedback to revise recommendations, if needed. In addition, all proposals for attendance boundary changes are published on the District's website, and social media sites.

Per the Interlocal Agreement for Public School Facility Planning and School Concurrency, an oversight committee referred to as the Capital Outlay Committee, which is comprised of representatives from partnering municipalities, Brevard County, and Brevard Public Schools, must review potential boundary changes prior to going to the School Board for approval for Public Hearing.

Typically, rising sixth, eighth, and twelfth graders are granted special consideration, allowing them to complete their education at their current school.

All schools have a two mile walking zone. Transportation Department will physically walk and measure the two mile zone. If student is not within the two mile zone, busing will be available.

The Attendance Boundary Change process begins over a year before the target implementation date of the following first day of school. As shown in this presentation, the process includes many facets involving community members, elected school board members, principals, senior BPS staff, and the Capital Overlay Committee review. BPS staff from multiple departments analyze various options and prepare the data and maps showing different options. Community members are able to provide input at public meetings, through direct e-mail, or by calling a dedicated phone number. The table below shows the projected time line for the entire process.

​​​​​​​Information Agenda: Recommended proposals for attendance boundary changes, including temporary exceptions are reviewed and discussed by the Board as an Information Agenda Item at a Board Meeting. The Board may delete, modify or request additional attendance boundary change proposals or alternate versions of a proposal for an attendance boundary change. The proposals are then modified as necessary by the Boundary Change Team to incorporate any comments/corrections prior to the Action Agenda meeting.

Action Agenda: Attendance boundary changes, including temporary exceptions, are reviewed by the Board as an Action Agenda Item. The Board takes action on temporary exceptions and authorizes the Superintendent to advertise for a Public Hearing at least twenty-eight (28) days prior to the public hearing.

Public Hearing: Recommended proposals for attendance boundary changes are approved by the Board at a Public Hearing, no sooner than 28 days following the published notice for a Public Hearing. Proposals may include special considerations.