WILLIAMSBURG – Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools officials unveiled draft redistricting proposals this week that could reshape attendance boundaries across the division beginning in fall 2027.
The proposed changes come as the division prepares to open two new Bright Beginnings campuses in fall 2027. Bright Beginnings is WJCC Schools’ pre-K program, now housed in five of the division’s nine elementary schools. Officials said consolidating prekindergarten programs into dedicated campuses will free classroom space at five elementary schools.
“Conversations about redistricting are not easy,” said Superintendent Daniel F. Keever during one of the meetings held at the Williamsburg Regional Library on May 13. “We are making decisions that are in the best interest of students.”
School officials and consultants from MGT, a firm that advises school divisions on planning and operations, said no final decisions have been made. The company is expected to provide a final recommendation for the School Board in October after additional public feedback and survey responses are collected.
Lance Richards, a former superintendent now working with MGT as an educational performance manager, said redistricting is a “data-driven decision.”
District officials said the proposal aims to ease overcrowding at some schools and better use available space at others. Data presented at the meeting showed Matthew Whaley Elementary operating at nearly 105% capacity and Stonehouse Elementary at almost 109% capacity.
“The division is currently imbalanced as far as utilization,” Richards said.
Richards said about 64% of projected residential development in the division is expected within the Stonehouse attendance area, increasing pressure on schools there over the next decade.
Officials also highlighted concerns about fragmented feeder patterns — the path students take from elementary to middle to high school based on where they live. Under current boundaries, some elementary schools assign students into as many as three middle schools.
Marci Horner, K-12 project manager for MGT, said the proposed maps aim to reduce those splits and create stronger student continuity between grade levels.
“These kiddos are going into school where they might not know anybody, and you know that’s hard,” Horner said.
Horner added the proposal also seeks to eliminate “non-contiguous boundaries” and “island zones,” where students travel through another attendance area, and sometimes past another school, to attend their assigned school.
“We did try to really make an effort that if a neighborhood was split at one level, then the next level, we were going to keep them together,” Horner said. “Lots of thought and concern about going into all of the things that you see.”
The draft proposal includes changes affecting elementary, middle and high school attendance zones throughout the division. Among the proposed adjustments is realigning sections currently assigned to James Blair Middle School and reducing transportation times for students in southern portions of the county.
Both Richards and Horner stressed that the proposed maps are only drafts and encouraged residents to submit feedback through division surveys.
“We want to know the good and the bad,” Horner said. “Because if you think this is great but somebody else or a lot of people are saying actually this is not great, then we want to hear your voice as well.”
The division will continue gathering community feedback through public meetings and online surveys before presenting a final recommendation to the School Board later this year.
Caption: Draft redistricting maps were displayed during a Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools community meeting at the Williamsburg Regional Library on May 13 as officials gathered public feedback on proposed boundary changes that could take effect in fall 2027.
