FAQ: Possible Middle and High School Boundary Adjustment for North Irvine
General FAQs after December 12 board meeting
Q: What happens to my tax dollars when my child goes to a non-CFD school?
A: Tax dollars follow the student and are used as needed to provide support to the school.
Q: As homeowners, we pay taxes and fees to support our neighborhood schools, what is the reasoning for selecting an option that sends our children to a school outside of our immediate neighborhood?
A: There is a need to adjust boundaries for both middle and high schools to address the enrollment growth east of the 5 freeway that will surpass both Jeffrey Trail MS and Portola HS capacities (1200 and 2600 capacity respectively) by fall 2019. The boundary advisory committee considered several criteria when considering the boundary including but not limited to: 1) balancing enrollment across multiple middle schools to accommodate the impact of growth north of the 5 freeway. 2) Provide a feeder system and transition from elementary to middle to high school that supports student’s educational experience.
Q: Who pays for new schools - IUSD or developers?
A: It depends on the terms of the agreed upon mitigation agreement between the developer and the District. For example, under the mitigation agreement between the District and Heritage Fields the developer FivePoint, provides K-8 schools when the agreed upon threshold of potential students has been met. In addition, under the Heritage Fields mitigation agreement, FivePoint provided the land used to construct Portola High School. Under the mitigation agreement entered into between the District and the Irvine Company, Community Facilities Districts (CFDs) have been formed which provide the funding to buy the land and construct schools as identified within the CFDs. The District issues long-term debt which are funded from the revenues provided by residents through the CFDs.
Q: How does IUSD work with developers?
A: Within the mitigation agreements, there are set times where District representatives meet with the developers. In addition, District staff meet and discuss new developments and/or changes in existing developments multiple times throughout the year.
Q: Instead of getting business plans from developers annually, would it help IUSD projections to get them quarterly?
A: Due to the ebb and flow of enrollment over the course of a school year, districts across the state of California typically capture their official enrollment in early October (Often referred to as CBEDS). To align with that enrollment data, IUSD captures recent closings and projected housing annually each October to project enrollment in the District at concurrent times over a 10-year period. This supports a consistent enrollment projection methodology from year to year. In years where there is a substantial change to developer business plans mid school year the District has made exceptions to the above practice to ensure that students can be appropriately housed.
Q: Does IUSD have a say if developers change plans for developments that may increase the number of students generated?
A: No. All developments are approved by the City.
Q: Why can’t IUSD close the old schools, where there are open seats in older neighborhoods, and build new schools where the development is primarily taking place in north Irvine?
A: There are sufficient open seats in IUSD middle schools to serve all seventh and eighth grade students through 2026. The Stonegate and Los Olivos communities are within reasonable proximity to their proposed new middle and/or high school (3.5 miles for middle school and 4.5 miles for high schools).
Q: Does Sierra Vista Middle School have the Same Technology as Jeffrey Trail Middle School?
A: Yes. In the interest of equity, the District has made investments in all IUSD schools to ensure all students have access to similar learning environments. In addition, Sierra Vista is slated to receive two new science labs, modernizations to four existing science labs with Measure E funds in Series I projects. For more information about Measure E upgrades for Sierra Vista, click here.
Questions Related to the December 6, 2017 Update from IUSD
Q: I received a letter from the District on Wednesday, December 6 about options that will be presented to the Board of Education on December 12. To be clear, which options have been removed from consideration for the Board?
A: Options 2, 3 and 4 have been removed for Board of Education consideration by the Superintendent’s Cabinet and the Boundary Advisory Committee.
Q: What was the process the Superintendent’s Cabinet and the Boundary Advisory Committee used for recommending options 2, 3, and 4 be removed for Board consideration?
A: After hearing parent concerns from the forums and receiving written feedback, the Committee removed options 2 and 3 during their November 29 meeting. The Committee unanimously agreed on option 1 but did not reach a consensus regarding option 4. Half the group felt option 4 would alleviate student enrollment at Jeffrey Trail and Sierra Vista middle schools, while bolstering Venado’s enrollment, ultimately providing a more balanced middle school experience for a larger number of students. Conversely, the second half of the group was concerned about splitting up the Cypress Village community. Therefore, the Committee elected to forward options 1 and 4 to the Superintendent’s Cabinet.
Upon further review of options 1 and 4, the Superintendent’s Cabinet removed option 4, which would have split the Cypress Village community, sending students, families and friends to different schools. The Cabinet was unanimous in their agreement that this would be too disruptive to the Cypress Village community and their children. In addition, the Superintendent’s Cabinet will include recommendations to the Board for how the District can bolster Venado Middle School's declining enrollment through special programmatic options and/or additional staffing as an alternative option.
Q: Why was option 1 recommended for Board Consideration?
A: Option 1 proposes to keep the Stonegate Elementary School community together by changing the attendance areas from Portola High School to Northwood High School and from Jeffrey Trail Middle School to Sierra Vista Middle School, while helping to alleviate Jeffrey Trail from exceeding its capacity.
The benefits to the Stonegate community include:
- Keeping students and families together as they move through middle and high school.
- Stonegate students would not be attending a school that is over its capacity, providing a beneficial middle school experience.
- Like all IUSD schools, Sierra Vista has an incredible and dedicated staff. Several teachers are highly decorated, including music teacher Henry Miller, who was named one of the top five music educators in the nation by the GRAMMY Foundation and Jonathan Millers, who received the designation of National History Day Teacher of the Year for the entire nation.
- Sierra Vista is receiving Measure E upgrades, including new science rooms. For a full list of Sierra Vista upgrades, click here.
While this is a change, please keep in mind that Stonegate Elementary students previously attended Sierra Vista, which is a part of the school’s tradition and history.
Q: Will the Board Consider any other options during the December 12 meeting?
A: IUSD staff is solely recommending option 1 with recommendations to the Board for how the District can bolster Venado Middle School's declining enrollment through special programmatic options and/or additional staffing as an alternative option.
Q: Why is the District recommending support for Venado Middle School?
A: Venado Middle School has declining enrollment, not enough that would warrant the closure of the school site but enough that it could support overflow from Jeffrey Trail Middle School or other middle schools. Staff is recommending options that will bolster Venado's enrollment by offering special programming and increased staffing to support this programming. More information will follow in the coming months.
Q: Can the public vote during the December 12 Board Meeting?
A: No. As part of the comprehensive boundary review process, the Board of Education directed staff to form a representative Boundary Advisory Committee and to hold parent forums so that families, who may be affected, would have a voice in the District’s process. The 36-person Boundary Advisory Committee is comprised of parent representatives, high school students, teachers, principals, and district staff from each of the areas and schools that could be affected.
Parent and community feedback was provided to the Boundary Advisory Committee and the Superintendent’s Cabinet, which resulted in the recommendations to remove options 2, 3 and 4 from Board consideration.
Q: Where will the December 12 Board Meeting be held?
A: The Board Meeting will be held at the District Office at 5050 Barranca, Irvine and will start at 6:30 p.m.
Q: What if I can’t make the Board Meeting on December 12?
A: For those who cannot attend the meeting, you may watch it live by visiting iusd.org/livestream or on Cox channel 39 or AT&T U-verse channel 99. The meeting recording will also be available on demand the following day at iusd.tv. If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to provide a comment to the Board, please email info@iusd.org.
Q: Where can I find an update about the Board’s decision after the December 12 meeting?
A: Please check this website for an update after the Board Meeting.
The Following FAQs Provide Information Prior to IUSD's Update on December 6, 2017 - Please Use These FAQ's for Reference
Overview of Options and the Need for Possible Boundary Adjustments
Q: Why is IUSD considering making possible boundary adjustments in North Irvine?
A: The enrollment at Portola High School and Jeffrey Trail Middle School will exceed their school capacities by fall 2019 due to the dramatic new residential growth east of the 5 Freeway.
Q: What schools and attendance boundary areas may be affected by possible adjustments?
A: The schools impacted by the possible boundary adjustments will be Jeffrey Trail, Sierra Vista, and Venado middle schools. The high schools impacted will be Irvine, Northwood, and Portola high schools. The communities included in possible adjustments are served by Cypress Village ES, Northwood ES, and Stonegate ES.
Q: How many options is the Board considering?
A: There are currently four boundary adjustment options that may impact the following communities served by Cypress Village ES, Northwood ES, and Stonegate ES
Q: What are the options?
A: The boundary adjustment options currently being considered include the following:
- High School Option 1: There is one high school option at this time that moves the Stonegate community attendance area from Portola High School to Northwood High School.
- Middle School Option 1: moves the Stonegate community (served by Stonegate ES) from Jeffrey Trail Middle School to Sierra Vista Middle School.
- Middle School Option 2: moves the Stonegate community (served by Stonegate ES) from Jeffrey Trail Middle School to Sierra Vista Middle School; and moves the Cypress Village community served by (Cypress Village ES) from Jeffrey Trail to Venado Middle School.
- Middle School Option 3: moves the Stonegate community (served by Stonegate ES) from Jeffrey Trail Middle School to Sierra Vista Middle School; and moves the Northwood community (served by Northwood ES) from Sierra Vista to Venado Middle School. The Northwood community would continue to attend Northwood High School.
- Middle School Option 4: moves the Stonegate community (served by Stonegate ES) from Jeffrey Trail Middle School to Sierra Vista Middle School; and moves the portion of the Cypress Village community west of Roosevelt (closest to the 5 Freeway) from Jeffrey Trail to Venado Middle School. The Cypress Village community east of Roosevelt (closest to JTMS) and the area south of Sand Canyon remain at Jeffrey Trail MS. The entire Cypress Village community would continue to attend Irvine High School.
Q: Why is IUSD considering these four options and not other options?
A: The were more options that were considered by the Boundary Advisory Committee, which has been meeting since last August. However, those options were eventually dropped from consideration due to splitting communities, distance or worsening the feeder system of elementary schools to middle school to high school.
Q: Is this a districtwide adjustment?
A: No, this is not a districtwide adjustment. The possible boundary adjustments would affect the three middle and three high schools mentioned above.
Public Input
Q: What is the Boundary Advisory Committee?
A: The Boundary Advisory Committee (BAC) is a short term committee established to address the enrollment at Portola High School and Jeffrey Trail Middle School both of which will exceed their school capacities by fall 2019 due to the dramatic new residential growth east of the 5 Freeway. To learn more about the BAC, visit https://iusd.org/department/boundary-advisory-committee.
Q: Who is on the Boundary Advisory Committee?
A: The BAC is made up of the following members:
Parents: two parents from each of the three middle schools, two parents from each of the three high schools, and two parents at-large are on the BAC. Two at-large parents were added to insure that every community that could be impacted by any adjustment would be represented on the BAC. The District’s practice is to select parents who have experience with the schools that would be impacted by any change. In this case middle and high schools parents were selected who have children at the schools possible impacted and also may have younger children in elementary schools impacted by any possible boundary adjustment.
Students: one high school student from each of the three high schools was selected to be on the BAC. The District’s practice is to include high school students when there is a possible high school boundary change.
Teachers: one teacher from each of the three middle schools and one teacher from each of the three high schools are on the BAC.
Classified Staff: two site Administrative Assistants (assistants to the Principal) are on the BAC.
HS and MS Principals: each of the three middle and high schools are represented by their school site Principal.
District Administrators: six district administrators are included representing Instructional Services, Student Services, Special Education, Human Resources, and Facilities Planning.
BAC Chairperson: The BAC is chaired by a Consultant who has experience working at multiple schools and at the District Office in IUSD.
Q: Why was the Boundary Advisory Committee established?
A: The Boundary Advisory Committee (BAC) was established to address the enrollment at Portola High School and Jeffrey Trail Middle School, both of which will exceed their school capacities by fall 2019 due to the dramatic new residential growth east of the 5 Freeway.
Q: What else is the District doing to gather public input?
A: In addition to parents on the Boundary Advisory Committee, the District has held three parent meetings on November 13, 15, and 16 at Venado, Sierra Vista and Jeffrey Trail middle schools respectively. All parents who reside in the communities that could be impacted by this boundary adjustment were invited to attend the meetings. Parents have sent emails to the district with questions and input into the process.
Q: What is the next opportunity for the public to provide input?
A: The next opportunity for public input to this process will be at the IUSD Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, beginning at 6:30pm at the District Office (5050 Barranca, Irvine). Parents can also watch this meeting from home by streaming through the District’s website.
For those who cannot attend the meeting, you may watch it live by visiting iusd.org/livestream or on Cox channel 39 or AT&T U-verse channel 99. The meeting recording will also be available on demand the following day at iusd.tv.
If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to provide a comment to the Board, please email info@iusd.org.
Q: At the Tuesday, December 12 Board of Education Meeting, will the public vote on the options under consideration?
A: The public will not vote on boundary adjustment options. The Board of Education will vote on these options.
Q: If I can’t attend the December 12 Board Meeting, how can I provide feedback to the Board of Education?
A: For those who cannot attend the meeting, you may watch it live by visiting iusd.org/livestream or on Cox channel 39 or AT&T U-verse channel 99. The meeting recording will also be available on demand the following day at iusd.tv.
If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to provide a comment to the Board, please email info@iusd.org.
Timeline for Board Decision and Implementation of Possible Boundary Changes
Q: When will the Board of Education make a decision on boundary adjustment options?
A: A final decision will be made by the Board of Education at the IUSD Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, beginning at 6:30pm.
Q: Will official notifications go out to families in the possible affected areas?
A: Official notifications will go out to the families who reside in any of the communities that are a part of the options 1 through 4. This notification will advise families of the final decision by the IUSD Board of Education and include the communities impacted by any adjustment, the timeline for implementation, and grade levels of students impacted by this decision.
Q: Can the Board delay its decision until 2018?
A: Yes, the Board has the decision-making power to delay the decision. However, IUSD Board policy requires that attendance boundary changes be approved by the Board, preferably 24 months in advance, but at least 15 months in advance of the effective date of the change. Implementation of this boundary adjustment is currently scheduled for fall 2019.
Q: How much advance notice will families be given if there are boundary adjustments made?
A: IUSD Board policy requires that attendance boundary changes be approved by the Board, preferably 24 months in advance, but at least 15 months in advance of the effective date of the change. Implementation of this boundary adjustment is currently scheduled for fall 2019.
Planning for Growth
Q: How does IUSD plan for growth?
A: IUSD staff utilize five and 10-year enrollment projections that are updated every fall to insure the most reliable information for decision-making. These projections are used in negotiations with residential developers to plan and fund for the acquisition of school sites and construction of new schools.
Q: Does IUSD approve or have a say in new commercial or residential developments?
A: No. Approval of all developments falls under the purview of the City Council, which is a separate agency from IUSD.
Q: Where is the bulk of new developments happening in Irvine?
A: Although there are pockets of new residential development west of the 5 and 405 Freeways, the bulk of new developments in Irvine on the east side of the 5 Freeway and on the Great Park.
Q: Is IUSD building new schools to accommodate the increasing Irvine population?
A: Since 2013, IUSD has opened and/or begun construction on a new school to support Irvine’s growing population and the District’s more than 34,000 students. This is in addition to the passage of Measure E by Irvine voters and the implementation of the first Measure E funding series this year. Throughout this period of unprecedented growth, IUSD has remained one of the highest performing school districts in the nation.
- Cadence Park K-8 – Will open August 2018
- Eastwood Elementary – Opened in August 2017
- Portola High School – Opened in August 2016
- Beacon Park – Opened in August 2016
- Portola Springs – Opened August 2015
- Cypress Village – Opened August 2014
- Jeffrey Trail Middle School – Opened August 2013
- A second K-6 school in Portola Springs will open in August 2019
Student Generation Rates
Q: How does IUSD determine student generation rates?
A: IUSD staff maintains a geocoded “Master Product List” inclusive of all current housing developments within IUSD attendance boundaries, as well as the number of students living in each community. In particular, District staff utilizes a “Recent Development Student Generation Rate,” which inventories some of the most recent housing projects completed and the students being generated by those projects. Staff uses this data to forecast the students generated by future communities.
Q: What are the projections for student generation rates in the parent presentation based on?
A: The student projections are based on already approved developments by the City of Irvine and information from the developers about the type of developments. In this case, the information is based on projects already approved by the City Council for the next 10 years.
Q: Can the projections presented change?
A: Yes. A variety of factors may influence projections, including the economy and any changes to the types of developments.
Q: Does IUSD have a say in the types of developments or approve developments?
A: No. Once the City of Irvine has approved a development, IUSD works with the developer on a mitigation agreement.
Q: Where are District projections the most uncertain?
A: Projections are uncertain for projects that have not yet been approved or projects the District is not aware of.
Public Questions/Feedback About the Four Proposed Options
Q: Why weren't Woodbury and Brywood included in the options?
A: Woodbury and Brywood were considered in the early development of boundary adjustment options. The BAC dropped Brywood from consideration because Sierra Vista Middle School lies within its elementary school boundary. Woodbury did not remain an option due to the distance to Venado Middle School and Irvine HS, and that it is on the opposite side and east of Jeffrey Trail MS. Woodbury did not remain an option due to the the distance to Sierra Vista and Northwood High School. Due to the number of students who reside in Woodbury, the area would likely have to be split to two different middle schools and two different high schools.
Q: Why weren’t Beacon Park and Cadence Park included in the options?
A: Beacon Park is a K-8 school. Cadence Park students will go to Sierra Vista Middle School, which is not impacted like Jeffrey Trail Middle School.
Q: Do the proposed adjustments affect Columbus Grove?
A: No. The proposed adjustments have no impact on Columbus Grove.
Q: Is it possible that the Boundary Advisory Committee or the Board of Education will make changes to the four options initially presented by the Boundary Advisory Committee?
A: It is possible that the BAC could make changes to or drop any of the four options currently under consideration as a recommendation to the Board of Education. The Board of Education has the decision-making authority to change, drop or add any options in their final decision on December 12, 2017.
Q: Can we increase capacity at Jeffrey Trail?
A: No, due to IUSD Board Policy, which limits middle school capacity to 1,200 students. In addition, increasing capacity would negatively impact the student learning experience. An increase in capacity would require an increase in temporary structures on campus that would take up athletic and other spaces on campus. It would severely impact food services and other shared facilities, and would cause issues with students' ability to effectively move on campus between classes.
Q: Why were parents from affected elementary schools not included on the BAC?
A: The school district’s practice is to select parents who have experience with the schools that would be impacted by any change. In this case middle and high schools parents were selected who have children at the schools possible impacted and also may have younger children in elementary schools impacted by any possible boundary adjustment.
Q: Why are the options the same for Stonegate?
A: BAC members stated that this option made logistical sense and was the cleanest adjustment affecting the fewest number of students to help reduce enrollment numbers at Jeffrey Trail MS and Portola HS. It reduces travel to high school for Stonegate students, and maintains a 100 percent elementary school to middle school to high school feeder system. Another option does exist for Stonegate in that the Board could decide not to make this boundary adjustment and leave Stonegate with Jeffrey Trail and Portola HS.
Q: Why is priority being given to new developments by making established neighborhoods change their boundaries?
A: IUSD has made it a high priority to adjust boundaries in a way that places emphasis, where possible, on proximity to schools and to have a 100 percent feeder system for students in order to stay together as they matriculate from elementary to middle to high school.
Q: Will new developments continue to bump older communities from current attendance boundaries?
A: IUSD has made it a high priority to adjust boundaries in a way that places emphasis, where possible, on proximity to schools and to have a 100 percent feeder system for students in order to stay together as they matriculate from elementary to middle to high school.
Q: Will the Boundary Advisory Committee and the Board of Education consider other options?
A: It is possible that the BAC could consider other options, make changes to or drop any of the current four options currently under consideration as a recommendation to the Board of Education. The Board of Education has the decision-making authority to change, drop or add any options in their final decision on December 12, 2017.
Q: Why would the Boundary Advisory Committee present options that remove families from their neighborhood schools - what the the committee process?
A: In order to avoid severely exceeding one school’s capacity by balancing enrollment with neighboring schools, an adjacent school that has seats available may need to have its boundary enlarged to encompass an additional community. As a district expands one school’s boundary, that boundary comes closer and closer to the site of another school. In this case, with option 2, Venado Middle School’s boundary becomes adjacent to the Jeffrey Trail Middle School site in order to serve the Cypress Village community and balance enrollment.
Q: Could Mello Roos fees pay for busing?
A: No. Mello Roos fees are restricted to facilities use and cannont be used for bussing.
Q: What schools exist now or will exist within the next few years to serve new developments in north Irvine?
A: Since 2013, IUSD has opened and/or begun construction on a new school to support Irvine’s growing population and the District’s more than 34,000 students. This is in addition to the passage of Measure E by Irvine voters and the implementation of the first Measure E funding series this year. Throughout this period of unprecedented growth, IUSD has remained one of the highest performing school districts in the nation.
- Cadence Park K-8 – Will open August 2018
- Eastwood Elementary – Opened in August 2017
- Portola High School – Opened in August 2016
- Beacon Park – Opened in August 2016
- Portola Springs – Opened August 2015
- Cypress Village – Opened August 2014
- Jeffrey Trail Middle School – Opened August 2013
- A second K-6 school in Portola Springs will open in August 2019
Q: Do current student projection related to this proposed boundary adjustment include the Los Olivos area?
A: The BAC is recommending that students from Los Olivos move from Rancho MS to University High School. They do not impact Jeffrey Trail MS and are not included in the current student numbers.
Q: Can Portola Springs students go to Beacon Park, instead of Jeffrey Trail for middle school?
A: Through school choice, families can apply to attend Beacon Park at any grade level but Beacon Park is not designed to serve as a traditional middle school that would serve students from multiple elementary schools.
Q: Will the County’s proposed development in the Great Park generate more IUSD students?
A: No, even though the County’s proposed development is within the City of Irvine that portion of the city actually lies within the Saddleback Valley Unified School District.