THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 24, 1995 TAG: 9506240341
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
School Board members are scheduled Monday evening to choose one of three proposed boundary changes to relieve crowding at Chittum Elementary School. All three plans switch some Chittum students to the Western Branch Primary and Intermediate schools beginning in September 1996.
``The school system has to try to deal with the enrollment the best way we can,'' said Len Wright, program administrator for planning and development and one of the people who developed the three proposals.
A report, presented to the board in March, recommends the option that would shift the boundary south to run along Portsmouth Boulevard from the Chesapeake-Suffolk city line to the Chesapeake-Portsmouth city line.
Children living north of Portsmouth Boulevard would attend Western Branch. Those on or south of Portsmouth Boulevard would fall into the Chittum attendance area.
That option does the best job of relieving crowding at Chittum, using transportation, reducing the effect of future development on Chittum and using space at the two Western Branch schools, the report says.
Chittum is overenrolled by more than 120 students. Additions are in the works at Western Branch Primary and Intermediate.
Chesapeake has about 34,000 students and is one of the fastest-growing school systems in the state. Over the past three years, enrollment has increased by 3,800.
KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE SCHOOL BOARD by CNB