Clovis Unified board adopts elementary school boundary changes

Clovis Unified’s board of trustees adopted new boundaries Wednesday night for two-thirds of its 33 elementary schools because of recent growth in the district.

The board’s vote was 7-0.

The boundary change became necessary as district officials examined growth projections and aimed to balance enrollment numbers across its schools.

The plan, which will take effect in August, will force some elementary students to shift to other schools in the district, thus changing where they attend high school.

It’s the first time attendance boundaries were redrawn in Clovis Unified in 10 years. To a large degree, the change is a response to residential development in northeastern and east-central Fresno, and southeast Clovis.

Redrawing boundaries will keep the district from having to build new schools and fill up schools that have room to spare while allowing others to avoid crowding, district officials say.

The district will accommodate families that don’t want to change schools for their third- through fifth-grade students by offering a “priority transfer window” starting Thursday and running through Dec. 9. Younger siblings also would be allowed to remain in the same school under the policy. Students in transitional kindergarten through second grade will be allowed to stay in the same schools based on space available.

Only a few parents attended Wednesday night’s school board meeting. They were concerned about having to move from Fugman Elementary School to Copper Hills Elementary.

A petition had been signed by about 100 parents opposing the change, said Stephanie Wagner, the parent of a kindergarten student. She said about 76 students are affected.

Copper Hills, she said, requires a longer walk through more dangerous intersections, although the distance is only about a quarter-mile longer. She said Riverview Elementary School is even closer and she would be willing to send her child there.

But district officials said Riverview is one of the more crowded schools in the Clovis North area with 834 students. Copper Hills has 673 students.

District spokeswoman Kelly Avants said about half the students moving from Fugman are in the priority transfer group – from third to fifth grade. The others, younger students, will rely on available space to be able to remain there, she said.

The only school not affected by the transfer window is the new Boris Elementary School, which is opening in August at Temperance and Clinton avenues. Boris Elementary will relieve overcrowding at nearby Oraze and Reagan elementary schools.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Clovis Unified board adopts elementary school boundary changes."