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While more students helps the district financially, continued enrollment increases of about 1,000 students each year may be contributing to overcrowding at some district schools.
The San Ramon Valley Unified School District board is planning a public study session from 1 to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 29 at the district’s education center on Old Orchard Drive in Danville to discuss the challenges related to the growing student population.
Schools most impacted are Live Oak and Hidden Hills elementary schools in San Ramon, which both have more than 1,000 students with a “desired capacity” of 900. This growth has been attributed to the newer developments in Dougherty Valley, which is the source of most of the enrollment growth, according to the district.
“To be proactive, we will begin to examine our enrollment issues, particularly in the Dougherty Valley,” Superintendent Steve Enoch said in a statement. “We will put before the board and the public numerous options, while being open to other ideas that might surface through the upcoming public meetings.”
Also to be discussed is the topic of boundaries, with recommendations affecting families within the Lawrence Road area of Danville where children attend Golden View or Sycamore Valley elementary schools; San Ramon’s West Branch neighborhood in the Coyote Creek Elementary School attendance area; and the Stonegate neighborhood boundary in Alamo that may impact families attending Rancho Romero School but who live closer to Alamo School.
The topic of overwhelmed schools is also part of the debate over the expansion of the urban growth boundary in San Ramon, which its voters will decide on with Measure W. Some say adding more homes would lead to further crowding to Dougherty Valley schools in particular, but SRVUSD spokesman Terry Koehne said Measure W is not part of this discussion and that the school district would not take a stance.
Read the study session overview for more information about Wednesday’s meeting.
If you build new neighborhoods, shouldn’t additional resources needed be part of the planning? You will need additional water, sidewalks, police, fire and schools. Someone made tons of money on these new housing tracts, why didn’t they have to kick in to the districts for the use of services? Especially when the schools helped sell the homes?
The school board’s proposal is to send the kids in the Tassajara neighborhoods to Golden View or Sycamore. They’re both great schools but neither choice is ideal for the kids, as the vast majority of the kids in those schools will attend different middle schools & high schools than the Tassajara kids. This breaks up childhood friendships and makes the transition to middle school very difficult.
Many parents and kids I’ve spoken to have recounted how difficult it was when the kids had to attend different middle schools. Several kids told me that when they went to Diablo Vista Middle School, they knew practically no one, despite living in Danville their whole lives. This disruption affects school performance and is tough on kids.
The school board’s proposal is to allow kids from the Lawrence road area to attend Creekside in Danville if there’s room. Why not also allow the kids in the Tassajara neighborhoods to attend Creekside if there’s room?
The school board has been sending San Ramon kids to Creekside in Danville because San Ramon schools are overloaded. Why not send the San Ramon kids to Golden View in San Ramon instead, so at least the San Ramon kids would have a chance to make friends in San Ramon? Sending Danville kids to Golden View in San Ramon makes no sense.
The district needs to adopt a year round school schedule which would spread out classes and eliminate overcrowding.
The School board is reluctant because so many parents might object to track scheduling; however it makes economic sense and eliminates overcrowding issues.
Just so you know, Mr. Sachs is an strong advocate for more developement in San Ramon and is a staunch supporter of the Measure W in San Ramon to add at least 4,300 more houses in the Tassajara Valley…more houses, more kids, more impact…just go to San Ramon Express to find out more of the the literate discourse between him and Seth Adams…
I strongly oppose year round schools, and expect most parents also share my opinion on this issue. Summers are important for students that have summer sport camps, summer jobs, and allow time to schedule family vacations during the summer(instead of taking vacations during the school year, as when kids are absent the district loses money).
Ditto what Samian said. And though this almost never happens, I agree with American too.
BTW, what the heck are the rest of us – Mongolians?
All of this mess makes the option of home-schooling so appealing.
And…why isn’t there a charter school is this area? The SRVUSD needs some competition!