2-8-05

Press Release

Public Meetings Scheduled to Discuss Recommended Changes to

MAPS for Kids

OKLAHOMA CITY – District officials presented an informational report at tonight’s regular Board of Education meeting outlining recommended adjustments to the MAPS for Kids plan to better accommodate the district’s changing student population since the election in November 2001. Now that the Board of Education has seen the plan, district staff will present the report to the OCMAPS Trust and hold several community meetings in the next couple of weeks to garner input before asking for the plan to be adopted.

“The most important goal of MAPS for Kids is that once completed, all students in this district will be able to learn in a safe and modern environment conducive to learning. With this in mind, it is important that we implement a plan that is as flexible as the city’s changing population,” said Bob Moore, superintendent of Oklahoma City Public Schools.

Public meetings to discuss and inform patrons, voters and staff of the recommended changes, potential solutions and to solicit additional input are scheduled as follows:

• Douglass High School Feeder Patterns, Thursday, February 10, 5:30 p.m., Douglass High School, 900 ML King Avenue

• John Marshall High School Feeder Pattern, Tuesday, February 15, 5:30 p.m., John Marshall High School, 9017 N. University

• U.S. Grant High School Feeder Pattern, Tuesday, February 15, 7:30 p.m., U.S. Grant High School, 5016 S. Pennsylvania Avenue

• Capitol Hill High School Feeder Pattern, Wednesday, February 16, 5:00 p.m., Southeast High School, 5401 S. Shields Boulevard

• Star Spencer High School Feeder Pattern, Thursday, February 17, 5:30 p.m., Star Spencer High School, 3001 Spencer Road, Spencer

• Northwest Classen High School Feeder Pattern, Thursday, February 17, 7:00 p.m., Northwest Classen High School, 2801 NW 27^th Street

Demographic changes since The Facility Group’s initial projections in 2000 and 2001 made this most recent review of the plan necessary. Some areas of the district where growth was expected and anticipated have actually accelerated or exceeded the growth projection models predicted. In other areas of the district where student populations have been declining over a period of time there have been accelerated rates of decline just in the last two to three years. In those areas of decline, the emergence of charter schools has impacted the initial projections.

The original plan was structured to accommodate not only population growth and decline projections at the time but also took into account consideration of new attendance boundaries, restructuring of grade configurations tailored to specific geographic areas of the district and the elimination of more than 100 portable classrooms.

The new recommendations also take into account current and new projections in population growth and decline and the elimination of portable classrooms, but it also allows for consistency in grade configurations across the district and the addition or elimination of  classrooms where needed due to population growth or decline. The newly proposed plan falls within the original MAPS for Kids budget since alterations in the recommended construction specifications should offset each other.

“The changing demographics do not create roadblocks but do make it necessary for district, city and trust officials to step back and seek solutions and input from the community as we progress with new and additional construction,” said Moore.

After tonight, the district will proceed by presenting these recommendations to the Trust, community and district staff. Final recommendations for adoption will be submitted to the Board of Education and the OCMAPS Trust later this month.

MAPS for Kids is a community-approved plan to rebuild Oklahoma City Public Schools both academically and structurally in an effort to create a model urban school district. The plan was passed by voters in November 2001 and is projected to raise $512 million to rebuild or renovate every school in the district.

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