‘Is any of this even necessary?’ – some Henrico School Board members question the need for redistricting

Since September, the Henrico School Board has dropped a number of schools from its redistricting plan, and some board members feel uncertain about the current watered-down proposal.

The board’s initial Sept. 11 proposal involved seven different scenarios that would move more than 1,800 students. But after pushback from hundreds of parents during the past three months, the board removed two scenarios and altered several of those remaining. The current proposal, on which the board is scheduled to vote Dec. 18, now would shift about 680 students.

Most of the scenarios aim to relieve schools that are overcapacity. But Henrico School’s current enrollment data shows that the division’s student population has actually decreased by about 1% since last year, despite HCPS’ own projections that it would continue growing.

The updated enrollment numbers have led some board members to question whether the redistricting is worth moving hundreds of students away from their current classmates.

“I just constantly come back to thinking about how we are losing students as a whole. . . it just makes me wonder if any of this is even necessary,” said board vice-chair Madison Irving (Three Chopt District) during a Nov. 13 work session. “I’m just looking at this and saying, are these actually numbers that warrant moving people at all, outside of [J.R. Tucker High School]? And I don’t know.”

The current proposal includes the following five scenarios:

Freeman-Godwin scenario

• Sections 1-3: Candlewood, Gates Head, Pinedale West, Ednam Forest, Cabin Creek, and Patterson West neighborhoods (133 students) would move from Freeman to Godwin.

Capacity impacts:
• Freeman High would decrease from 101% to 94% capacity;
• Godwin would increase from 88% to 94% capacity.

Henrico-Hermitage-Highland Springs scenario

• Section 1: Chamberlayne Farms and Lakeside Terrace neighborhoods (182 students) would move from Hermitage to Henrico;

• Section 2 and Section 3: Central Gardens, Woodville, and Fairways neighborhoods (80 students) would move from Highland Springs to Henrico.

Capacity impacts:
• Henrico High would increase from 63% to 81% capacity;
• Highland Springs High would decrease from 86% to 83% capacity.

Tucker-Hermitage scenario

• Section 1 and Section 2: Bonnie Brae, Glenside Woods, and Wistar Place neighborhoods (277 students) would move from Tucker to Hermitage.

Capacity impacts:
• Tucker High would decrease from 102% to 89% capacity;
• Hermitage High would increase from 82% to 87% capacity.

Tuckahoe-Quioccasin scenario

• Section 1: Patterson West neighborhood (6 students) would move from Tuckahoe to Quioccasin.

Carver-Maybeury scenario

• Section 1: Patterson West neighborhood (8 students) would move from Maybeury to Carver.

All of the scenarios would take effect next school year, except for the Quioccasin scenario, which would be implemented in the fall of 2027. Through a new grandfathering policy approved by the school board, all current high-schoolers who would be impacted by the redistricting would be allowed to stay at their home school next year.

'Are we fixing something? I'm not as sure as I was'

But with the grandfathering policy in place, the redistricting proposal likely won't cause a significant reduction in school capacities next year, said Irving.

“I think most of the high-schoolers are probably going to stay where they’re at, so most of these switches are not happening all at once, it would be phased over time,” Irving said. “I just wonder, are we actually fixing something? . . . I’m not as sure as I was previously.”

Brookland District representative Kristi Kinsella also expressed some uncertainty about the current proposal.

“Do you feel confident?” Kinsella asked HCPS Superintendent Amy Cashwell. “Before we move students, we like to look at everything possible – programmatic changes, all kinds of things. The trends we’re seeing at Freeman and Tucker, in your opinion, these are not bubbles?”

With new developments proposed near Douglas S. Freeman and Tucker high schools, as well as other areas further east in the county, HCPS staff feel it is “important to get ahead,” said HCPS planning specialist Rachael Thayer.

Other school board members stuck by the proposal, saying that the redistricting would still help relieve overcrowded schools that need immediate action.

“I still wholeheartedly believe Freeman needs capacity relief. . . for the better part of 10 years, they’ve been over capacity,” said board chair Marcie Shea (Tuckahoe District). “While it is hard to change high schools, it is hard to change any schools. These are tough conversations.”

The redistricting also would help increase Henrico High School’s student population, allowing the school to better build community and fill extracurriculars, said Fairfield District representative Ryan Young.

“For Henrico [High] to be so low and to be in the middle of the county, it’s hard to make sense out of it,” he said. “Right now, to walk through those hallways and not see many students there. . . understanding that we won’t have a JV girls basketball team and watching the band dwindle in front of my eyes – and I’m watching other schools as I travel around, and these other schools get to enjoy those things.”

High school scenarios get mixed feedback from families

The school board also reviewed feedback about the redistricting proposal given by more than 300 attendees of the past three town halls and more than 1,700 respondents to an online survey, which showed mixed reactions to the current high school scenarios. The majority of survey respondents – about 77% – were HCPS parents.

While almost half of survey respondents supported the Tucker redistricting scenario, the majority of town hall attendees indicated that they either opposed the scenario or were neutral. The redistricting would reduce Tucker from 102% capacity to 89% capacity by moving students to Hermitage High School.

The Freeman scenario, which would reduce the school’s capacity from 101% to 94% by moving students to Mills E. Godwin High, also got mixed feedback: nearly 60% of survey respondents opposed the scenario, but most town hall attendees said they were in support.

The Henrico scenario, which would increase the school’s capacity from 63% to 81% by bringing in students from either Hermitage or Highland Springs high schools, saw more than 70% of survey respondents in opposition, but most town hall attendees took a neutral stance.

The Quioccasin scenario, which saw the strongest parent opposition over the past few months, has been significantly cut down by the school board and now only moves around six students. The initial scenario would have caused less middle schools to feed into Tucker, but the current proposal would not change Tucker’s feeder pattern – a longstanding problem that has made it difficult for Tucker to build a cohesive school community, said Kinsella and Shea.

The school board will vote on all current redistricting scenarios as a consolidated proposal at their Dec. 18 meeting.

Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s government and education reporter. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.