New Fairfield-Suisun high school boundaries a reality

FAIRFIELD — School trustees approved new high school boundaries Thursday to even out high school populations.

The Fairfield-Suisun School District’s governing board members voted 7-0 to create the new boundaries and create uniform feeder schools. No current high school students will be affected as the new boundaries apply only to incoming freshman.

A committee made up of members of the community forwarded the recommendation after meeting throughout February. The group looked at travel times to schools, transportation issues and populations of the schools.

The new boundaries will create the following feeder schools to the three high schools:

• Armijo High School: Crystal and a portion of Grange middle schools would feed to the high school. Some of Anna Kyle Elementary would feed to those middle schools along with Crescent, Dan O. Root, Fairview, Sheldon and Suisun elementary schools.
• Fairfield High School: Both Grange and B. Gale Wilson would be split to feed into the high school. The remainder of Anna Kyle as well as all of Cleo Gordon, David Weir, Laurel Creek, Rolling Hills and Tolenas elementary would feed to those middle schools.
• Rodriguez High School: Green Valley and some B. Gale Wilson students would go to the high school. Cordelia Hills, K.I. Jones, Nelda Mundy, Oakbrook and Suisun Valley elementary schools would feed to those middle schools.

Much of the discussion hinged on a complaint from Greg Knight, who said he and other residents paid Mello-Roos tax dollars to help pay for the construction of Rodriguez. He said students in the Castle Rock, Rolling Hills and Sanctuary neighborhoods would be sent to Fairfield High, thus breaking the agreement set up in Community Facility Districts.

Trustee David Isom had a similar concern about the tax money.

“I wanted to make sure we aren’t doing something that can be challenged by a legal authority,” he said.

Kim Van Gundy, director of facilities, said the committee spent time in the first meeting discussing the tax dollars and the issue had been studied by lawyers. Van Gundy said the lawyers confirmed that Mello-Roos tax dollars are not guaranteed to go to a specific project or area.

Superintendent Jacki Cottingim-Dias echoed Van Gundy and told a personal story of how her tax dollars never went to a project that was promised when she bought her home.

The motion for the change was amended to include a two-week open-enrollment period starting at noon Friday and ending April 5, which will be done using a lottery.

Reach Danny Bernardini at 427-6935 or dbernardini@dailyrepublic.net. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dbernardinidr.

Danny Bernardini

Danny is a newspaper man born and raised in Vacaville. He attended Chico State University and has written for the Enterprise Record and the Reporter. Covers the City of Fairfield, education and crime. A's, Warriors and Saints fan. Listener of vinyl, frequent visitor to the East Bay. Registered "decline to state" voter. Loves a good steak.

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