Option 4: Merge Merriam & McT; Conant Community Relocated
This option requires the dissolution and reconstitution of two school communities (Merriam and McT, with a combined FY26 enrollment of 826 students) into a single entity, allowing the Conant community to relocate intact to the new available space. The remaining schools absorb some portion of the former McT/Merriam population. ● Displacement: This option involves the highest intensity of displacement for specific communities. The minutes from the December 2nd Steering Committee meeting specify that under this option, both the Merriam and McCarthy-Towne school communities are displaced, as they "cease to exist and are reconstituted as a new school community." This language underscores that the change is not merely a combination of existing communities but a full displacement and creation of a new school identity. ● Disruption: The Conant community is disrupted by being relocated as a whole group into the space made available by the merger. The remaining three K-6 schools (Blanchard, Douglas, and Gates) experience minimal disruption in this scenario, as they do not receive new student populations. ● Synthesis: This option concentrates the most intense displacement and disruption on three specific school communities (Merriam, McCarthy-Towne, and Conant), thereby preserving stability and minimizing change for the majority of the district's students and families.
School (K-6)
FY26 Enrollment (Sections)
FY27 Projected Enrollment (Sections)
Enrollment Change
Section Change
Potential Grade-Level Disruption
Blanchard
+33 students
0
469 (22)
502 (22)
Absorbs students from the merger's dispersal. Section balancing required (e.g., Grade 6 increases 3 to 4 sections). Significant absorption requiring 1 additional section (e.g., Grade 3 increases 3 to 4 sections). Largest proportional growth, requiring 2 additional sections (e.g., Grade K increases 3 to 4 sections). Community is physically disrupted by relocation and absorbs a population increase, gaining 2 additional sections (e.g., Grade 1 increases 3 to 4 sections).
Douglas
+70 students
+1
408 (20)
478 (21)
Gates
+92 students
+2
380 (19)
472 (21)
Conant (Relocated)
+62 students
+2
410 (19)
472 (21)
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