North Star, Double Eagle boundaries may change

A committee of the Albuquerque Public Schools board voted Tuesday night to change the attendance boundaries of North Star and Double Eagle elementary schools in the Northeast Heights. About 40 families who previously lived in the North Star attendance area will now live in the Double Eagle boundary.

The change affects families who live in an area bounded by Alameda on the north, Paseo del Norte on the south, Ventura on the west and Eubank on the east.

Sixty-two students who are currently in third- or fourth-grade or are siblings of current third-, fourth- or fifth-graders will be allowed to stay at North Star through a grandfather clause.

Board member David Peercy, who represents the affected area, said he suggested the grandfather clause to create a seamless transition for families.

“We want to have as little disruption as possible,” he said.

The board has been discussing overcrowding at North Star since the start of the school year and encouraging families to voluntarily enroll their students at Double Eagle. North Star’s current enrollment is 741, and the building capacity is only 663. Double Eagle, which is less than three miles from North Star and has similar test scores, is under-enrolled.

At a community meeting the district held in September, North Star parents overwhelmingly asked for an enrollment audit, to find out how many students were enrolled at the school without actually living within its attendance boundaries. APS performed an audit, which found the school would still be overcrowded even if only students with confirmed residency attended it.

In addition to the boundary change, the board is also considering a new policy that would require families to show proof of residency when they register students every year, rather than only when they initially register at the school. That policy passed out of committee on a 4-3 vote, with some board members voicing concern about the impact on homeless students or those who move frequently and find their only stability at school. The board has delayed voting on the proposal as they have further discussions and consider more community input.

The board voted on one other change to the attendance boundaries at Double Eagle, including the Evergreen Hills subdivision in the Double Eagle attendance area. Evergreen Hills is on Forest Road 333, which is accessed from the north end of Tramway NE in Albuquerque. Families in the area have traditionally attended APS schools, but the area is technically part of Bernalillo Public Schools. The board voted to approve a written agreement that those families can continue to attend APS schools.

The vote will now go to the full school board tonight. However, APS committees include all members of the board, so committee votes are usually upheld by the full board.
— This article appeared on page C02 of the Albuquerque Journal