To accommodate the new Collins Middle School, which is scheduled to open in August 2005, the CUSD is working to redraw the district's middle school boundaries. A committee, the CUSD Middle School Attendance Area Task Force, was formed to study different boundary drafts.

Since its last meeting on Aug. 15, the committee has received six new district boundary drafts, giving task force members a total of 18 different scenarios to study. Their goal is to make their decisions by the November deadline in order to assist the school board in drawing new boundaries that will accommodate the district's new middle school at the Collins site.

Although many of the new drafts are versions of previously submitted drafts, the task force will not eliminate any proposals.

"We're going to consider every proposal," said Andy Mortensen, CUSD assistant superintendent of human resources. "It's the task force's responsibility to truly evaluate all scenarios."

Since some drafts only differ in minor ways, demographer Jeanne Gobalet organized all submitted scenarios into five families according to their common features, which many task force members have found helpful.

Family one includes five drafts, all of which have the Collins attendance area in the middle, surrounded by the other four middle schools.

Six drafts sharing an east-west division between the Collins and Hyde attendance areas comprise family number two.

In family three, a north-south division between the Collins and Hyde attendance areas characterizes its two drafts.

Stevens Creek and De Anza boulevards separate Cupertino, Collins, Hyde and Kennedy middle schools in family four, which has four drafts.

Family five, unlike the others, has only one draft—number 19 or Aqua—because it's unique, Gobalet said.

Authors of nine of these drafts presented their plans to task force members. In addition to explaining their criteria and how they match up to direction given by the school board, presenters also answered questions raised by committee members.

One presenter, Mark Peebles, talked about boundary drafts 00 and 17 of family four, which he designed using the historical boundary map from 1978, when Collins was a junior high school.

"The historical boundary protects the city's major arteries—Stevens Creek, De Anza and Bollinger," he said. "It allows short commutes for kids in all attendance areas and encourages biking and walking."

Another presenter, Susan McGhie, who is also a task force member, talked about the new draft Maroon, which is similar to the original Red A draft. She emphasized the importance of drawing the division where no one has to cross Stevens Creek Boulevard.

A traffic committee made up by city officials, CUSD representatives, community members and nonprofit groups has been formed to assist the task force by providing objective information relating to traffic and safety.

Instead of individual drafts, the task force has decided to study and evaluate families of drafts in small groups in future meetings.

Its next meeting will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Garden Gate Elementary School on Sept. 18.

The task force is holding a series of committee and community meetings to study boundary proposals and get input from community members.

Committee meetings
(all at Garden Gate School)

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 7­9 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 7­9 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 7­9 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 6, 7­9 p.m.


Community input meetings

Monday, Oct. 28, 7­9 p.m.,
Hyde Middle School

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7­9 p.m.,
Kennedy Middle School