School Boundary/Facilities Meeting Jan. 24 Moved to San Marin High

Anticipated interest in the Novato public school system’s boundary study and master facility plan is so great, district officials have moved the location of its Jan. 24 meeting on the subjects a second time to a larger venue.

The 4 p.m. meeting is to take place at the Emily Gates Student Center on the campus of . spokeswoman Leslie Benjamin said the change was made because of a large expected turnout.

This is the first of three meetings planned on the boundary study and facility plans; dates have yet to be nailed down for meetings over the next few months, Benjamin said.

On Jan. 12, the district announced that its board of trustees would hear a report and allow community input at , but Thursday the second move was made to San Marin.

The district’s Facilities Planning Committee heard a presentation (see attached document) from Jack Schreder & Associates on Dec. 15, laying out all sorts of data to be considered for a major study. It included declining birth rates, declining school enrollment — both for public schools and private schools. The committee requested more information on enrollment rates for St. Vincent de Paul High School in Petaluma and Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, two private schools believed to have increasing enrollments of Novato students.

The comprehensive study was triggered by the June 2011 for economic and enrollment reasons and the redistribution of Hill sixth- and seventh-graders and incoming elementary school graduates to either , or

NUSD altered the geographic enrollment drawing boundaries for the middle schools just for the 2011-2012 school year with the understanding that a comprehensive study would address boundaries for all NUSD schools thereafter.

The Hill site was turned into the that incorporates NOVA Independent Studies, Marin Oaks High School and NUSD’s adult education program. The facility study will include recommended uses for that site and all NUSD-owned parcels and entertain the ideas of expanding an elementary school campus to include middle school aged-students.

The most controversial subject is the of , which does not have traditional neighborhood enrollment boundaries but instead draws kids from the entire city. Rancho formerly had a “back to basics” curriculum but since the 1990s has had the same curriculum as all other elementary schools by state law. Rancho continues to use a lottery system to determine its enrollment, but the result has been a student body that is less diverse than the district average — a point that has troubled some trustees. Academic performance at Rancho is among the best in Marin County.

The official seating capacity at the district meeting room is 174, but meetings of this caliber routinely have overflowed into a hallway, an adjacent staff break room and standing-room-only area along the walls. San Marin can fit approximately 250 people on risers plus chair seating in front of its stage.

The Jan. 24 meeting at San Marin is expected to last at least two hours, but longer if needed, the district said.

An NUSD budget workshop originally scheduled for Jan. 24 has been postponed.