PITTSFIELD, Mass. — As it prepares to retire Morningside Community School, the Pittsfield Public Schools recommends sending cohorts of its students to other elementaries rather than redrawing attendance boundaries. 

A public hearing was held at the school on Tuesday so that community members could comment on three different options for Morningside students next year: 

• Option 1: Adjusts some attendance zones, including moving a portion of the Allendale Elementary School neighborhood to Williams Elementary School for transportation efficiency. 
• Option 2: A larger district-wide redistricting model that would affect multiple schools. 
• Option 3: Reassigns students currently attending Morningside to receiving schools without changing attendance zones for other elementary schools. 

Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips explained that option three is recommended because it prioritizes keeping cohorts of Morningside students together while minimizing broader boundary changes during the first phase of elementary redistricting. 

Allendale, Capeless, Egremont, and Williams elementary schools have been identified to welcome Morningside students in the fall. 

"And I say first phase because as many are aware, we're in the process of the West Side School construction project, and moving forward, we currently are in a feasibility study, and there will be decisions that are made regarding Crosby Elementary, Conte Community School, and Stearns Elementary School," Phillips added. 

"The district will need to revisit attendance boundaries as part of our future planning efforts, so at that time, option one or option two, or variations of those models may be considered." 

The district is seeking up to 80 percent reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for a consolidated and combined rebuild of Crosby and Conte on West Street. 

Per district policy, a public hearing must be held any time a school building is closed or attendance boundaries are revised.  Last week, three community meetings were held at different times of the day, and the feedback received was compiled into an FAQ sheet presented on Tuesday. 

The administration worked with a redistricting consultant to develop the three possible options, which were displayed in the Morningside cafeteria for the hearing.  Data on student population trends, school capacities, population density, transportation considerations, walk and ride distances, and long-term enrollment projections informed the proposals.