Sarah Webb is a Westporter, working in fashion marketing. She moved here 4 years ago.
She has a 6-year-old daughter who is “thriving” at Long Lots Elementary School, and a 4-year-old son eager to join her next year.
Sarah says, “I feel the need for stability for all the kids who grew up during COVID is paramount.” Speaking on behalf of a group of parents, she writes:
As the Westport Board of Education considers a proposed redistricting plan, many parents are expressing deep concerns about the potential negative effects on their children’s emotional stability and social connections during a crucial developmental stage.
The BOE has enlisted the expertise of demographers Mike Zuba and Pat Gallagher from M&P Planning Group to devise a phased approach to redistricting.
The first phase focuses on addressing enrollment disparities among elementary schools that feed into Bedford Middle School, with a second phase planned for those feeding into Coleytown Middle School.
In Phase 1, the favored Scenario A1 suggests transferring students from Long Lots Elementary School to Saugatuck Elementary School, starting in the 2025-2026 school year.
Saugatuck Elementary School: one part of a redistricting plan …
Current projections show LLS will have 604 students in 29 sections, while SES will have only 400 students across 20 sections. If approved, LLS would see a decrease to 546 students and 27 sections, while SES would increase to 459 students and 24 sections.
Dependent on the impact of phase 1, Phase 2 sees 36 Kings Highway students moving to Coleytown once the new LLS school rebuild is complete, circa 2028.
This proposal arises from new kindergarten enrollment regulations, and a rebound in student numbers post-COVID. Yet with new housing developments such as The Hamlet of Saugatuck on the horizon, and schools like Kings Highway and Green Farms experiencing record enrollments, many parents worry about the long-term effectiveness of this plan.
At the October 10 Board of Ed meeting, parents of affected students passionately expressed their fears. They urged the board to consider a grandfathering provision that would allow existing students and their siblings to remain in their current schools. Our children have built friendships and established their identities within these communities, especially after growing up during the pandemic. The emotional and academic toll of uprooting them is significant.
When students are abruptly moved to new schools, they face more than just a change in address. Research shows that transitions like these can have negative impacts on academic performance, social relationships, and mental health. For many, the middle of a school year or the beginning of a new one is an overwhelming time to make new friends, adjust to different teaching styles, and feel like they belong.
The emotional cost of this disruption is especially severe for children with special needs, those who are introverted, or those who have already struggled with socialization. In some cases, these transitions can set students back months or even years academically. Grandfathering prevents these adverse effects by allowing students to complete their time in a familiar environment.
Grandfathering offers districts a practical, compassionate way to implement redistricting without causing unnecessary harm to families. It allows district leaders to achieve their goals — whether they be reducing overcrowding, balancing resources, or addressing demographic changes — while still prioritizing the well-being of the students at the heart of these decisions.
… and Kings Highway, another.
For parents, the argument is clear: Stability matters. Children need consistency to thrive, especially in their early years. Grandfathering isn’t just a concession — it’s an investment in the emotional and educational success of students, and an acknowledgment of the deep-rooted connections families form within their school communities.
As the BOE prepares to make its decision, the community is at a crossroads. Many understand balancing enrollments is essential, but urge the BOE to look at grandfathering existing students and their siblings to avoid the huge emotional and social ramifications for these children would face
Parents hope the BOE will recognize the importance of maintaining stability for their children, ensuring that the proposed changes do not come at the cost of their well-being.
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I totally agree with grandfathering these students. The well being of these children are paramount
We also have hundreds of apartments coming at us with not only the Hamlet but also the development of Hiawatha and the large apartment complex going up on Post Rd West which can add many more students to Kings Highway and Saugatuck Elementary in the near future. Are these projections being accounted for?
I realize it is unsettling for families to contemplate redistricting, but I think it is important for the BOE to address our overcrowded schools. If lots of families seek to be grandfathered, there will be unintended consequences. Bus routes will be inefficient. Neighborhoods with kids attending 2 different elementary schools will be less cohesive.
My kids are older now, but we would have welcomed the chance to move from LLS to somewhere smaller. The district will make appropriate efforts to help affected kids adjust. And I don’t think anyone is suggesting redistricting in the middle of the year!
My son is one of the 51 kids being considered for redistricting with no Grandfather clause yet. I agree with Sarah Webb completely. We are still recovering from the deep scars from upending his early elementary years for COVID. As we have lived through school change, we all know what redistricting will do to our kids. I don’t want to go through this again. Please let us stay.
Grandfathering defeats the objective of “balancing the load” via redistricting. Having an overcrowded school tight on physical resources and staff while another has 50% fewer students doesn’t make much sense. Consolidating schools would help long-term – cheaper to run as a town (fewer admins and overhead) and would reduce the need for these redistricting exercises. Creates more flexibility for how the town housing develops over time too.
My kids went thru one redistricting exercise. Had a tough first week at the “new” school but also knew a bunch of kids via sports & other activities so not like being totally new to Westport. Kids are resilient. The redistricting is going to happen and now it’s a matter of the details.
Back in the “baby boom” era (late 1950s, 1960s), Westport opened new schools frequently, with consequent redistricting. We all survived – even thrived! A few years later, we reunited in Junior High School or at Staples HS anyway. [Indeed, in those days, typical elementary school classes were 30 or 31 students! — but I digress.] Kids are resilient enough to take this in stride…
“In each life, a drop of rain must fall.”
I completely agree with my classmate Scott Brodie. I would be curious to know how the teachers feel about it.
I don’t have a strong opinion on whether current students should be redistricted, as I see both sides. Balancing the attendance at the schools is vital to the well-being of all students. We moved 3 times (once out of the country) while my daughter was in elementary school and she did just fine. But for some kids, I know, it can be more difficult, especially given that some of these kids are still recovering from the disruption caused by the pandemic.
On another/related topic, I love language and was curious about the term ‘Grandfather Clause’, which is in very common use today. So, I googled it. It originated in the late 19th century in state constitutions and Jim Crow laws as a way to restrict Black men and their descendants from voting. Quite literally, it stated that anyone who had a grandfather that had ever voted was given the right to vote (grandfathered in), and thus was exempt from the new requirement for poll taxes and literacy tests. Of course, no grandfather of a Black man at the time had ever had the chance to vote in this country. It was a way to prevent African Americans from voting while allowing white voters to continue to vote.
I just thought I would share what I learned. Instead, (according to Google) words like “legacied, exempted, and excused say the same thing.
Seems to me parents need to give the social, emotional, and intellectual skills of their children more credit.
a little encouragement and support rather than visible fear and doubt can go a long way!
Interesting as this brings up a strong memory. We moved to Westport in 1972 and I attended Burr Farms Elementary as a 5th grader. Almost all the friends I had made that first year transferred to Long Lots Jr High and, based on our address past Staples off of North Avenue, I was required to attend Coleytown Jr High. This was a difficult transition for me as a new kid in the area.
I agree with Scott Brodie and Michael Calise. We also moved from one side of town to the other. While I was growing up in NYC I was redistricted to a new school. Most children play different sports, soccer, basketball, baseball, or are scouts. They have friends in all the schools. Twenty years later, my sons friends who he is still in touch with frequently all went to different elementary and middle schools from him.
It is usually the parents who can not adjust to the redistricting not the kids.
Westport has some of the greatest minds in education working in its schools (and that’s just counting the janitors). I’m sure Superintendent Scarice and his team are capable of taking this latest challenge in stride.