Students from The Woodlands' May Valley subdivision will go to Smith Elementary School next year after the Magnolia Independent School District approved a rezoning plan.

”Our concern is the process they used in arriving at rezoning decisions in a vacuum,” said Petri Darby, a May Valley resident. “It is unacceptable for MISD not to notify parents and residents when it explores rezoning proposals and not to engage parents and residents in that process. Tomball and Conroe ISD and many other school districts seek public participation in rezoning processes - why won't Magnolia ISD?"

Students from the new subdivision in The Woodlands are attending Ellisor Elementary School. The district decided to rezone to Smith next year because Ellisor was reaching its capacity and Smith hadmore room to grow. With 600 to 700 new students anticipated from May Valley, MISD decided to implement the rezoning now, said superintendent Todd Stephen.

Ellisor is currently rated an exemplary campus, while Smith is a recognized school. Stephens said Smith is within a few points of reaching exemplary status and he expected the school will reach that designation this year.

Under an existing MISD policy, students attending Ellisor may continue in that school, but the parents would be responsible for transportation. Also, any child in that family is eligible to attend Ellisor if the family has been enrolled in the school for a full year, said Charlie Brown, a spokesman for the district.

There are currently 33 students attending Ellisor from May Valley, the only Woodlands subdivision assigned to Magnolia schools. Most Woodlands students attend schools in the Conroe Independent School District, while Creekside Park resident are assigned to the Tomball Independent School District.

Some May Valley residenst said the decision appears to have been made before two public forums were held in December, without input from resident. The forums were staffed by administrators, but no members of the board of trustees were in attendance. The school board initially tabled a decision in December, but voted unanimously for the plan at a meeting Monday.

“Obviously we are frustrated that the Magnolia ISD board feels that it is acceptable for the district to make rezoning decisions without involving parents and residents in the process, but this was never just about May Valley,” Darby said. “We remain committed to getting Magnolia ISD to revisit its rezoning process so parents can have input into important decisions that impact our children's education.”

In the Magnolia Independent School District, administrators make a rezoning recommendation based on situations that arise, such as the construction of a new school or growth in subdivision. That plan is taken to the public at an open forum for presentations and feed back before a vote is taken, Stephens said.

School Board President Glenn Addison said leaving May Valley students in Ellisor another year may have required portable classrooms to be purchased, while classroom space remained available at Smith.

"There was no logical reason to postpone the vote," said Addison. "If there is one logical efficient way to do that, that's what we are going to go with."

Addison noted that students from the Oklahoma subdivision also will be impacted by the change, but not one parent there complained. He said the district has a history of making decisions to benefit children.

Magnolia Elementary Schools Serving The Woodlands

The Magnolia Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a rezoning for students in May Valley in The Woodlands from Ellisor to Smith elementary schools. Following are the two schools in question:

Ellisor Elementary
33040 Egypt Lane

Smith Elementary
28747 Hardin Store Road

Source: Magnolia ISD