Henrico School Board ditches high school boundary change proposal, will weigh 'comprehensive' school redistricting this fall

With a 3-2 informal vote at their March 13 meeting, Henrico School Board members decided to drop a proposal that would have changed the attendance zones of four high schools to help balance out capacity.

The proposed changes, which would have gone into effect during the 2026-2027 school year, would have shifted 190 students from Douglas S. Freeman High into Mills E. Godwin High and 76 students from Highland Springs High into Henrico High. 

Families in the areas where changes were proposed will not have their boundaries changed as of now, said school board members, but the school board will do a more “comprehensive analysis” of school boundaries and a possible broader redistricting this fall.

Board chair Marcie Shea (Tuckahoe District), who requested the boundary change proposal, said that while she is disappointed about the lack of relief for Freeman High, she would rather have the proposal dropped completely than keep families “in limbo” about which high school their students would attend.

“I think tabling it to the fall is the worst outcome for the community being considered, for them to have to continue to wait in limbo after being overcapacity for seven years,” she said. “I don’t think it’s fair to Freeman just to say, ‘no, we’re not going to do anything,’ but to me, the most important thing is to give our families some clarity and direction.”

At the March 13 meeting, Henrico Schools staff presented more information about the proposal, including the projected costs for two different transportation options. The first option, which would add bus routes in the impacted areas, would have cost around $2.5 million and require six more bus drivers. The second option would have had students in those areas use the HUB bus system.

Varina representative Alicia Atkins urged the board to oppose the first transportation option, saying it would be unfair to spend that amount for a temporary solution and not in other areas that need it more. 

“I’m going to be very clear that I think it’s asinine. I do not think that’s an appropriate solution in any way, shape or form,” she said. “We can come up with $2.5 million, hiring six more bus drivers. . . I don’t find that fiscally sound. I do not agree with what I see in transportation here.”

HCPS staff also showed projected school enrollments in the coming years. Over the next four years, the number of seats at all three Advanced Career Education (ACE) Centers are expected to double, with new renovations being finished, and seats at all specialty centers are expected to increase except for the three centers at J.R. Tucker High School, which is currently overcapacity. 

While projections from the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia predict HCPS enrollment to fall by 3.2% from 2023 to 2028, HCPS’ own projections show a 2% increase in enrollment.

“I tend to think that we’re probably correct on this relative to them, but it’s interesting because I do think there’s a perception that our enrollment is declining,” said vice-chair Madison Irving (Three Chopt District). “And as such it may be hard to ask for the type of budget and spend the amount of money that we do.”

With the board having to tackle more complex capacity issues and enrollment trends in the fall, moving some school boundaries now would rush the process, said Brookland District representative Kristi Kinsella, and not address other overcrowded schools such as Tucker.

“I just don’t want to have a bandaid solution. . . I believe this can wait until the fall,” she said. “We’re hearing from folks who have been redistricted before and now they’re looking at a boundary adjustment again. I’d just like to be thoughtful in the short-term and long-term.”

In the meantime, Irving and Shea suggested that HCPS Superintendent Amy Cashwell look into providing both Tucker and Freeman with additional supports to help manage the overcrowding, such as an additional administrator, school counselor, and more teacher complements. Irving also said he supported decreasing the amount of specialty center seats at Tucker if necessary.

The school board is also considering changes to its redistricting policy and regulation, which will be voted on in April. Changes to the policy would require the school board to consider school boundary changes at least once every four years, with opportunities given to the public to comment on any proposed changes. 

Changes to the regulation would do away with the traditional process of school redistricting – which required the creation of a redistricting planning committee of staff and community members and the hiring of an outside consultant – and instead allow the superintendent to design a plan for public input.

Shea said the board “aims to be transparent” with policy changes and decided to give the public a full 30-day period to review the adjustments rather than vote on the changes after only 14 days.

“There’s a lot of misinformation that’s kind of been circulating,” she said. “The main updates are that [school boundaries] will be reviewed at least every four years. . . but we will really look at it every fall informally. So that four years would not require action but would require consideration.”

Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.