New Scenario Released for LES Closure Redistricting

A new redistricting scenario for closing Lewisboro Elementary School (LES) has been released by the Katonah-Lewisboro school district.

The scenario, which comes after feedback from school board members in response to a previous version, includes several notable changes. It adds several homes to the west of Lake Truesdale, which are currently in the LES attendance zone, to the Meadow Pond Elementary School (MPES) zone. In the first version, houses to the west of the lake were rezoned for Increase Miller Elementary School (IMES), while only houses to its east were proposed for MPES.

Another change involves taking residences in the Lambert Ridge and Meadows areas - they were initially proposed to be switched from LES to the Katonah Elementary School (KES) zone - and placing them in the IMES zone. However, small portions of what would become the former LES zone would still be redistricted to KES.

Some residents in the current IMES zone would see change if the redistricting plan becomes reality. The new scenario proposes switching parts of Lewisboro and North Salem to the KES zone as part of a new northern branch. 

The new scenario, which keeps the other three elementary schools open and uses 2013-14 enrollment numbers for the assumption, 111 kids would be added to IMES, 140 to MPES and 99 to KES. In that scenario, KES would have 472 students, IMES with 467 and MPES with 447.

The release of the new data comes prior to a school board meeting for the topic, which is scheduled for Thursday. The meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. at John Jay High School's library, according to the agenda. The board is also expected to take a preliminary vote on closure, based on past statements at public meetings, with a final vote slated for Jan. 23. A majority of board members, five out of seven, are inclined to support a closure.

The new redistricting report is at this link, while detailed charts of the changes are at this link. Bussing time data for the new scenario is at this link.