by KAY RICHTER
Hays CISD is considering moving Uhland-area students who currently attend Hemphill Elementary to Camino Real Elementary as administrators try to balance attendance in the growing district.
Mike Peace, chair of the district’s Growth Impact Committee, recommended making the attendance zone adjustment to school district trustees at their regular monthly meeting on Monday. The change would currently impact about 71 students, Peace said.
“Some of the district’s fastest growth has occurred in the percentage of economically disadvantaged students and English language learners. Specifically, Tom Green, Camino Real and Hemphill Elementary have the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students among all elementary schools in the district,” Peace said.
Hemphill Elementary currently has a student-to-teacher ratio of about 20-to-1. Moving the portion of Hemphill’s attendance zone east of Texas 21 to Camino Real would address the overcrowding and “return [Hemphill] to the desired 18-to -1 ratio,” Peace said.
Trustee Merideth Keller asked whether the change would impact area middle schools; Peace said it would not. In response to a question from trustee Marty Kanetzky, Peace said the attendance zone adjustment should ease Hemphill overcrowding for three to five years.
A public hearing on the recommendation is scheduled for Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. at Hemphill Elementary School and one is scheduled for Jan. 24 prior to the school board meeting at Lehman High School. The board will consider voting on the recommendation at the Jan. 24 meeting.
Hays CISD’s enrollment increased 4.86 percent, or 710 students, this academic year over last, deputy superintendent Carter Scherff said. Current enrollment is 15,331 students.
Also at Monday’s meeting, the school board bid farewell to board vice president Mark Jones who resigned to take his new position as the Hays County Pct. 2 commissioner.
The board voted unanimously to name Ralph Pfluger to fill the vacancy left by Jones. This will be Pfluger’s third time serving the school board. He was a member of the Buda School Board and then on the first school board after consolidation from 1967-1974. He was elected in 2004 and served until April of this year.
