Attendance changes planned for 5 schools in Lexington 1

Rapid growth is causing Lexington 1 to shift dozens of students from two schools as more neighborhoods sprout on the east side of Lexington.

The plan would move about 200 students each this fall from Meadow Glen Elementary and Meadow Glen Middle, both of which opened in the past six years.

The students leaving Meadow Glen Elementary would be split between Midway and New Providence elementary schools. Lexington Middle would take all the students from Meadow Glen Middle.

The shifts will provide temporary relief at schools that Lexington 1 officials say are “seriously overcrowded.”

But not everyone is happy with the changes.

Residents of the 130-home Carriage Hill Lakes neighborhood are seeking a realignment.

They want their children to attend nearby Midway, with its French immersion instruction, as they have since 1990 –instead of traveling farther to New Providence, homeowner association president Dino Teppara said.

Some parents said the changes shouldn’t start until fall 2018 to give families more time to prepare.

“They didn’t bring it out soon enough,” said David Longstreet of the plan. Longstreet, an anti-drunken driving crusader, said his children are not affected but several neighbors are. “More lead time would be better.”

The moves will alter commutes, require students to adjust to new teachers and split friendships. An unknown number of teachers also would be reassigned.

“It changes the nucleus of schools,” Longstreet said.

The new attendance lines are the first changes considered since 2014. Lines have been redrawn several times in the past 15 years as 13 schools have opened.

Superintendent Greg Little says the moves are a way “to efficiently and effectively use the schools we have” while his team develops a plan to add classrooms.

Everybody involved is not going to be happy, said Lexington Mayor Steve MacDougall, whose family is among those affected.

“It’s one of those problems with growth that we just have to accept. They’re all good schools.”

This story was originally published March 5, 2017 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Attendance changes planned for 5 schools in Lexington 1."