By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— More than 100 parents were involved in a public meeting Feb. 8 where Superintendent Dr. Scott Coefield announced the proposed zoning plan for Pelham Oaks and Pelham Ridge elementary schools.

He told the parents that this proposed plan was the 11^th version he drafted, and he felt the most comfortable with this version.

“I think you’ll find to meet all the needs and all the things we are concerned with,” Coefield said. “We think this is a good plan.”

The plan currently has students in neighborhoods on County Road 11 and south of County Road 52 attending Pelham Ridge Elementary, the new elementary school located at 251 Applegate Parkway.

This also includes Brookshire, Eagle Cove and Mallard Point neighborhoods, neighborhoods on County Road 72, County Road 361, County Road 68 and Green Park South.

Students in neighborhoods below County Road 52 who are north of County Road 68 and east of U.S. 31 will attend Pelham Oaks, formerly Valley Intermediate School.

The three biggest considerations, according to Coefield had to do with student demographics, building capacity and logistics.

“Our goal was to establish attendance zones that reflected the nature of our community as a whole while improving efficiency, including transportation,” Coefield said. “We didn’t want to have a ‘have’ school and a ‘have-not’ school… when we zoned, if there was a big gap, we started over.”

He said they looked at the zoning, Coefield said they looked at the percentage of students who qualified for free or reduced lunches first.

Pelham Oaks will have approximately 614 students and 40.6 percent of those students qualify for free or reduced lunch. About 737 students will attend Pelham Ridge and about 44.6 are eligible for free or reduced lunches.

“What we really like about it is the difference in demographics…those numbers, there is probably a 5 percent error, give or take,” Coefield said. “So basically, as far as the demographics and the number of kids who are served by free or reduced lunch, are basically identical.”

Pelham Ridge can hold 825 students and Pelham Oaks can hold 675. Coefield said both schools have room for growth in Pelham at about 10 or 12 percent.

Parents asked questions related to the benefits of transitioning into a K-5 system, how this change would affect numbers in the middle and high school, how this would affect busing and the fluidity of the zoning lines.

Coefield said this new plan has the potential of cutting down bus times by 15 to 20 minutes, which he said is a positive thing for students. It could also lead to more instructional time for the students.

Regarding the fluidity of the zoning, Coefield said they will be watching the demographics closely and will likely rezone once there is a 10-point difference between the two schools.

“Our purpose is not to rezone every two years,” he said. “But we are also not going to let our schools get out of whack. So it would be very fluid.”

Pelham City Schools is hosting another public input meeting Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Pelham Civic Complex. Coefield said he plans to gain feedback through the month of February and recommend a zoning plan to the Board of Education Feb. 29.

In March, Coefield said they plan to finalize the staffing and logistical details and create the 2016-2017 school calendar. Students begin registration in April.

All of the materials related to the zoning will be posted at Pelhamcityschools.org for residents to view, and a FAQ section will be added by mid-February, according to Coefield.

For more information, parents can email questions or concerns to zoningfeedback@pelhamcityschools.org. For a full list of zoning by neighborhood, visit Pelhamcityschools.org.