School district revises redistricting proposal Superintendent calls it better but not perfect; 379 students affected BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer WOODBRIDGE - Schools Superintendent Vincent Smith said the new proposed school-redistricting plan should make most parents happy, but admitted that it was not perfect. "We took the parents' and board members' suggestions and we feel we did the best we could to make changes that would make the parents happy," said Smith. "However, the plan is not perfect," he said. "The changes are good for some and in the end will affect some parents and children, but we did the best we could ... the plan was not a done deal." Smith said the administration had been working with the board after the special meeting on May 9 at the Avenel Middle School cafeteria where they introduced a proposed school-redistricting plan that brought out over 300 parents and their children. Many parents and children were angry and confused about the proposed plan and many expressed concerns that the plan was a done deal. The school's administration and the Policy and Planning Committee met to discuss making changes to the original proposed plan on May 15. Smith said it was likely the board would vote on the new proposed plan that is expected to only affect about 3 percent of the 14,000 students in the school district - 263 elementary students, 49 middle school students, and 67 high school students - at a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. on May 24. The guidelines for the proposed plan are to maximize the use of each school building based upon the renovations and additions that will be available for the 2007-08 school year. The additions to schools were made possible through an $86 million bond referendum passed in September 2004. The goals are to achieve balanced enrollments through realignment of attendance zones based on building capacity; to move as few students as possible in achieving this balance. The district wants to keep neighborhoods intact and, where possible, move students as intact groups, to reduce the number of noncontiguous attendance zones and to reduce travel time as much as possible. Smith said he would like to see the plan implemented in September for the 2007-08 school year. "We will have to move resources around since there will be an influx of students to certain schools," he said. "Under the new proposed plan, there will be 135 new students that will go to Lafayette School No. 25. There will definitely be a move of teachers." The new proposed school redistricting plan is outlined on the township school district's Web site at www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us.