HUNTER DWORACZYK [email protected]
HUTTO — Hutto Independent School District’s board approved an attendance zoning structure that attempts to balance attendance for the district’s three middle schools.
During their regular meeting Thursday, Jan. 25, trustees unanimously approved a new zoning map for Farley Middle School, Hutto Middle School and Gus Almquist Middle School, which is set to open in the fall.
The map is effective beginning the 2024-2025 school year.
“As we look at the next five years, the balance of this plan kind of keeps kicking the can down the road as to when middle school number four will be on the table,” said Henry Gideon, Hutto ISD’s assistant superintendent of operations. The new zoning map has Gus Almquist Middle School capturing all students who are currently zoned for Kerley Elementary, Veterans’ Hill Elementary and Howard Norman Elementary.
FMS captures fifth through seventh graders currently zoned to HMS who reside in the Hutto Elementary School zone south of US 79 and in adjacent areas along FM 1660.
The HNES attendance zone is also slightly altered, now incorporating the Covered Bridge development. Ray previously captured this area and the move is expected to affect 12 students.
“My understanding is that Hutto is about 25% to 30% built out,” trustee Terrence Owens said. “There’s opportunity for growth as more businesses come in. Probably one of the hardest things as a trustee is to make sure that we do it equally and safely for our kids and parents.”
The rezoning map offers grandfathering clauses, which allows for certain students to remain at their respective school, even if they are captured by a new school now.
Current seventh grade students are given the option to use the district’s “Transfer Process” and established criteria.
Criteria considered includes available space in respective schools, established residency, a student’s standing with the Code of Conduct, a student’s attendance and tardy history and a student’s academic performance.
Current fifth and sixth grade students can also apply for the transfer process if they are the siblings of one of the seventh graders who applied for the transfer.
The plan said the grandfathering exemption is so that families are not split between multiple middle schools.
Hutto ISD will not provide district transportation for students who are grandfathered into a school.
“It may appear that we only spent a few minutes on this, but this truly has been months and months of work and thought,” Board Vice President Amy English said. “We don’t take this lightly. We know this is a very sensitive topic to families and we have a lot of empathy for that.”
Gideon said the district may look at rezoning the elementary schools in the near future.
Photo courtesy of Hutto Independent School District
