South Warren football players are recognized Monday, February 8, 2016, for winning the state title during a board meeting at South Warren High School. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

Changes to elementary school attendance zones for Warren County Public Schools are now official following approval Monday by the Warren County Board of Education.

The board voted 4-1 to approve a redistricting proposal that was submitted by Superintendent Rob Clayton in December. It marks the culmination of nearly nine months of planning from the Boundary Planning Committee and follows four parent forums on the process, according to a news release.

Clayton recommended exempting fourth- and fifth-graders from the redistricting process. They may choose to stay in their current school or move to their new one, but if they choose to stay, parents will be responsible for transportation to school. Clayton told the Daily News the district’s plan to move sixth-graders into middle schools during the 2017-18 school year is “on hold.”

He has said the cost of expanding middle schools to accommodate the move would be $27 million – a cost the district didn’t anticipate.

Board member Don Basham was the only dissenting vote, and he opposed the changes on the grounds that they might not go far enough to create needed space.

“I do think that we may have spent too much money on some of the athletic complexes recently,” he told the board. 

Basham said he didn’t want to blame others, and said he bears responsibility for approving the projects. “I voted for that just like everyone else at this table,” he said.

Basham worried that not going ahead with the middle school expansion because of cost concerns could limit the district’s bonding capacity for future needs, such as a new elementary school.

“So I think there may need to be more consideration of the boundary line changes,” he said. Alternatively, he recommended reforming committees related to the project to revisit the process and not use up the district’s bonding capacity.

Board member Kerry Young agreed with Basham but said moving ahead with redistricting was imperative “as we have schools that are very near capacity.”

The approved changes are effective at the start of the 2016-17 year, and they can be viewed at warrencountyschools.org/Content/63270.

In other business:

•The board recognized several students and staff with awards. The school board meeting was held at South Warren High School, and recognized the school’s football team for being state champions. The board also honored National FFA Organization students, and district staff were honored with Golden Apple awards.

•The board approved a revised 2015-16 school calendar with makeup days planned for Feb. 15, March 17, March 18, March 25 and May 26. On a related issue, Clayton said he opposes Senate Bill 50, which would require schools to start no earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26.

“That should be a local decision made by the local board of education,” he said. 

A study released Monday and commissioned by the Kentucky Travel Industry Association and the Kentucky Marina Association looked into the economic impact of early school openings. It found nearly $432 million in revenue was lost by the state’s tourism industry in August 2014 compared to July 2014.

•The board heard architect updates on athletic complex projects at Warren East High School and Warren Central High School. Board members looked at pictures of work at WEHS, where walls are being built on a field house, along with other work. Meanwhile, work at WCHS is 30 days from completion. Exterior concrete is lacking and weather has slowed progress.

•Board members approved payments for work on the athletic complex projects. A payment for the Warren East project to Wasco Inc. totaled $206,535.51. A payment to Kenway Concrete of Kentucky for work at Warren Central was $17,598.80.

— Follow education and general assignment reporter Aaron Mudd on Twitter at twitter.com/aaron_muddbgdn or visit bgdailynews.com.

Dear WCPS Families,

As you may already know, last night the Warren County Board of Education approved the redistricting proposal first presented to them at the December 2015 Board Meeting. The vote follows a nearly nine-month process, with extensive preparation from the district’s Boundary Planning Committee and school officials.

The approved changes to the attendance zones will become effective at the start of the 2016-17 school year. Current fourth and fifth grade students will be exempt from the redistricting, giving families the option of allowing these students to remain in their current schools. Parents of the exempted students will be responsible for providing all transportation.

To view the approved changes to the current attendance zones, please visit the Boundary Planning Webpage at www.warrencountyschools.org. District personnel will be available to assist families with questions pertaining to attendance zones and can be reached at our Board Office at (270) 781-5150.

I want to thank our Board Members and the Boundary Planning Committee for their continued commitment to our students. This was a long and exhaustive process that required countless nights spent away from their families, hundreds of hours of research, and an underlying passion for students.

We are committed to ensuring that all students impacted by the redistricting decision have a smooth transition to their new school. Please feel free to contact your new school principal at anytime throughout this process. Thank you.

Respectfully,

Rob Clayton,

2/9/2016