Update (Wednesday, 12:09 p.m.)
Families who live in Juneau’s future Pederson Hill subdivision will send their kids to Riverbend Elementary School, following a unanimous vote at Tuesday’s school board meeting to adjust elementary school attendance area boundaries.
Also at the meeting, the school board said goodbye to two outgoing members, Dan DeBartolo and Steve Whitney, and swore in newly-elected Deedie Sorensen and Emil Mackey. Sorensen and Mackey will each serve 3-year terms.
Brian Holst was reelected school board president. Elizabeth “Ebett” Siddon was elected vice president, and Paul Kelly was elected board clerk.
Original story
The Juneau School Board will vote Tuesday on whether to make a small change to elementary school attendance area boundaries.
The area in question is almost entirely covered by what will be the new Pederson Hill Subdivision. With the current boundaries, families who will one day live in the subdivision would have to drive or bus their kids to Auke Bay Elementary School.
But there’s another elementary school within walking distance. Trails have already been built that connect the new subdivision to Riverbend Elementary School.
“So students who live in the Pederson Hill subdivision would be able to walk to school on a trail system without having to go near a road,” Juneau School District Chief of Staff Kristin Bartlett said.
Bartlett also said Riverbend Elementary School has more room available for new students than Auke Bay.
The change would move the boundary line between Auke Bay and Riverbend elementary schools on the north side of Glacier Highway from the Mendenhall River to Karl Reishus Boulevard.
Although the boundary change would primarily affect the future residents of the Pederson Hill subdivision, a few existing houses would also be included in the change. Bartlett says those families will have the option to continue sending their kids to Auke Bay elementary school.
The Juneau school board will vote on the boundary change at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. in the library of Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé.
