Who's Out? Who's In? #1 In a Series

Last night I decided to do a 'deep dive' on the makeup of the neighborhoods being impacted by the boundary changes at Indian Hills.

I started with my own development which is officially 'out' [edit - per the proposed plan], 161 homes in total: Paula Jean Park, est. 1983, proud home of the famous, longitudinally challenged, oh-so nearly alliterative Paula Jean Powerline Park.

Taking a look at the latest tax data on the WaCo Intermap site you can get a couple facts, property coordinate and latest assessment - location and value.

Average distance from homes in Paula Jean Park neighborhood being excluded from IH boundary to the front door of the school is 808 feet, about 2 football field lengths if you include end zones.

To put that in perspective, it is 810 feet from the SW corner of the Indian Hills sport field to the front door of the school, 2 feet further.

Let me restate that for emphasis - families in Paula Jean Park being excluded are closer to the school, on average, than the back edge of the school property.

How does that make sense?

What Is A Neighborhood?

I'm an engineer so I tend to reduce warm concepts like 'community' and 'neighborhood' down to numbers - here are some on the impact to the local, neighborhood feel of Indian Hills.

Looking at the area of the current boundary, 75% is within 1/2 mile of the school. With the proposed change that ratio drops down to 46%.

Zoom in a little bit and the area of the boundary within 1/4 mile of the school plunges from 33% down to 18%.

One of the most enjoyable things for me is to walk to school with my girls on family night at the start of the school year and see all the other families from the local neighborhood walking with their kids as we anticipate Mr. Callaway's welcome and enthusiastic introduction of the staff.

Next year, I imagine I will just be awestruck by the line of idling SUVs and mini-vans backed up on Rock Road, all trying to find a place to park.

Meeting Notice - Boundary Committee Work Session #2

Meeting is day after tomorrow for anyone interested:

Boundary Committee Work Session #2
November 14, 2007
(Wednesday, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.)

Board Room
Hillsboro School Administration Center (map)
3083 NE 49th Place
Hillsboro, OR 97124-6009
Phone: 503-844-1500

"...the public is invited to attend the boundary committee work sessions, provide brief comment during the citizens’ participation portion, and listen to the committee’s discussions."

Boundary Change Overview

NOTE: This is an old post, new updated maps are HERE
CURRENT (click photo to zoom)















HSD PROPOSED with zoning (click photo to zoom)

Welcome

As you may have heard, Hillsboro School District is planning boundary adjustments to most schools within the district.

The current proposed change has major implications to Indian Hills as a school and as a community. The purpose of this blog is to share information with the local community, encourage active participation in the boundary process and to ensure that the unique neighborhood character of our school is preserved.

Indian Hills History from the school website:

Indian Hills Elementary School is a neighborhood school proud of its distinction as the first in the Hillsboro School District to receive the "Exceptional" rating twice from the State of Oregon.

Indian Hills School has a strong tradition of providing a high quality of education for children in our community. Indian Hills was first opened in September of 1979. In 1985 the Kindergarten program was added. Indian Hills School now educates children from kindergarten through the sixth grade.

Indian Hills is one of six schools from the Reedville School District which unified with the Hillsboro School District in July of 1996. It retains the unique characteristic of a neighborhood school. Parent support of teachers and programs, through the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and volunteer work, is evidence of active community interest and participation. The Indian Hills School staff has responded the this challenge and in turn has established high performance standards for itself.