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Seminole County flooded with online school-rezoning plansSANFORD, Jan 04, 2013 (Orlando Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Scores of online proposals suggesting how to alter attendance zones for Seminole County elementary schools have flooded in during the Christmas holidays, challenging three committees that must sort through them next week in search of the perfect plans. Deputy Superintendent George Kosmac reported Friday that 161 proposals were submitted through the school system's reZoner Internet site during the school break. That included 52 proposed plans for the 11 North Phase schools; 60 for the dozen East Phase schools; and 49 for the five West Phase schools. "I'm a little concerned that we may not be able to get through all of these plans in the time we have set aside," Kosmac said. The committees of parents and principals set up to recommend attendance-zone plans for schools in each of three regions of the county will resume discussions next week, with the North and East phase committees meeting Wednesday and the West Phase group meeting Thursday. Final meetings of the groups are scheduled the following week, with the School Board to begin deliberations afterward. The School Board has targeted 28 of 36 elementary schools for rezoning, citing the need to reduce crowding at some and fill empty seats at others. As the three committees worked to come up with proposed plans for the School Board's consideration, the public also was invited to submit plans through the rezoner.com website that allows users to shift students from school to school on a map. Some of the new plans are from committee members and some are from the public. Meanwhile, push-back from parents objecting to changes in school attendance zones also began to emerge during the holidays. School district officials are bracing for an army of upset parents to protest the new attendance zones during hearings set for March and April. [email protected] or 407-883-7885 ___ (c)2013 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) Visit The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) at www.OrlandoSentinel.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |