BOARD POLICY - 7100

We believe the school facilities planning process should be designed and implemented to safeguard our demonstrated excellence in education while simultaneously ensuring that our schools are managed in a fiscally responsible and cost effective manner.

We believe that schools should be situated so that each school's attendance area is large enough to ensure sufficient student population to support a school facility that operates cost-effectively, yet preserves the educational and emotional benefits children derive from attending a school near their neighbor community.

We believe the facilities planning process should honor the potential for unique strengths and characteristics of individual schools and reflect the high value placed on neighborhood schools, alternative programs, open enrollment, and the community use of school facilities, and should be based on a thorough analysis of changing demographic patterns.

We believe there are benefits for families and for children when the assigned school of attendance is within reasonable proximity of their neighborhood community. The neighborhood communities potentially served by a school shall be considered within reasonable proximity if the maximum radius from the school is:

• Elementary: 2.5 miles
• Middle School: 3.5 miles
• High School: 4.5 miles

The concepts of reasonable proximity and reasonable school enrollment (BP 7112), along with economic considerations of refurbishing and maintenance of older facilities and access to State facilities and Community Facilities District (CFD) funds shall be key factors in any decision regarding building a new school or closing an existing school.

Policy Adopted: March 27, 1974
Policy Revised: January 14, 2003