Lake Highlands High School band members participate in an ice ball fight in 2011. (Staff photo by G.J. McCARTHY / DMN)
Lake Highlands-area families saw lots of changes in their schools this fall. Many campuses reopened with extra classrooms to accommodate the children who keep flowing into the Dallas neighborhood.
Now Richardson ISD administrators are discussing the possibility of moving the ninth graders — who currently have their own building — to Lake Highlands High School.
The district hosted a meeting Oct. 16 at the high school to get feedback from parents and other community members. Two other meetings will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at Forest Meadow Junior High and Lake Highlands Junior High, respectively.
Several dozen people attended the first meeting, including parents and high school staff. What officials are proposing is to make Lake Highlands a traditional 9-12 high school and to repurpose the freshman building into an Early College High School. The program would serve about 125 students per class and allow them to graduate with a high school diploma and up to 60 hours of college credit. The building would also host some career and technical education programs.
Officials said the potential move would be better for ninth graders by integrating them into the culture of the main high school and reducing disruptions and loss of instructional time.
Enrollment at the freshman center is 790 students; at the high school, it’s more than 1,700. According to the district, about 525 ninth-graders travel from the freshman center to the main campus and back for class or extracurriculars. And about 127 students from 10th to 12th have a class at the freshman center.
“We want kids to feel connected,” said Tabitha Branum, assistant superintendent for secondary schools.
Superintendent Kay Waggoner said it would also be easier for teachers to collaborate if they’re in the same building.
Community members at the first meeting had mixed feelings. Some liked the idea of having a traditional high school and another program under the high school’s umbrella that would allow kids to get two years of college virtually for free. But other parents said the freshman center gives students the support they need during a critical year of transition.
“The kids like it,” said Deborah Wright, who lives in the area. “Parents like it.”
Administrators said they would make sure to provide a supportive atmosphere, such as dedicated counselors and space for freshmen at the main high school.
In an FAQ, the district is telling parents that research at the time the freshman center opened in the 1990s showed this type of facility was the preferred academic environment for ninth graders. Now research favors comprehensive high schools, according to the district. New graduation requirements from the state also support the 9-12 model, officials say.
Lake Highlands is seeing the most growth in kindergarten and first grade. (You can read more about the impact on the neighborhood and district here and here.) The enrollment expansion will move down the pipeline and eventually hit the secondary level. Richardson ISD anticipates it would have to build onto the freshman center by 2021 and the high school by 2023.
Under this proposal, the district would have to add only to the main high school at a cost of about $23 million to $26 million. The money would likely be part of a possible bond election in 2016.
But, if the school board approves the proposal, the district could move the freshmen and start the Early College High School as early as next school year. However, that would accelerate the need for construction, said Tony Harkleroad, deputy superintendent of finance and support services.
Branum said she has met with focus groups that include teachers, students and other community members. Feedback from these groups was generally supportive.
Do you have a child at the Lake Highlands Freshman Center or the Lake Highlands High School? Are your students finishing up middle school in the area? I’m writing about Richardson ISD’s proposal and welcome your thoughts. Email me at jchiquillo@dallasnews.com.