Which of the above school sites allows for kids to walk and bike to school? The 2013 school site (left), or the site closed in 1984 (right)?
The tools on these pages will help your school community find answers to these questions, contemplate the pros and cons of alternate scenarios and make the best long-term decision for your community.
- How do school boundary areas compare for each school site?
- How does school site affect diversity (race or socio-economic)?
- Can children access the school by foot, bike or public transportation?
- What is the existing or planned housing density at each location?
- How does proximity to school affect children's travel patterns?
- What are projected costs for transportation at either site?
- What opportunities exist for shared use of space including public libraries, athletic facilities and art or music facilities?
- Are school and community development decisions made with an eye on health, social justice and equity?
The tools on these pages will help your school community find answers to these questions, contemplate the pros and cons of alternate scenarios and make the best long-term decision for your community.
When schools are well located, more kids can walk and bike to school. Communities save on transportation and improve community health when the easiest choice is the healthiest choice. Schools located in high density neighborhoods with affordable housing consistently yield students. When schools use existing infrastructure (including sidewalks, bikeways crosswalks and lights) and jointly share public spaces (e.g. public library, art, music auditoriums, parking, etc), everyone wins and everyone saves money.
However, when schools in city centers are closed and new schools are built at low-density edge of town locations, transportation and new infrastructure costs soar, while fewer and fewer kids walk and bike to school.
School districts facing declining or increasing enrollment, changes in population demographics, or school budget shortages will find this information useful for any decision regarding schools including new school construction or expansion, closures or consolidation or grade configuration or attendance boundary changes.
This website was created to help decision makers form partnerships, collect data and use tools to inform the complicated decision of school location. These pages direct decision makers, including community members, to tools that can assist with information gathering to ensure data based, cooperative and inclusive decisions for your community. When decision makers work together communities thrive. Many states are struggling to maintain school enrollment and several states have experienced gradual declines in school enrollment despite increases in overall population, which makes planning for schools and community complex. It is essential that schools and community plan together in order to thrive, especially in states with flat or declining school enrollment.
The following pages include information on the relationship between school site and community planning, a process outline examples of data that should be mapped, shared, and analyzed for decision making as well as other tools and resources to assist the process.
As a community member with a passion for kids, safety and health as well as a school board member for over seven years, this website author recognizes the complexity of school site decisions and the competing factions present in decision making. The school siting information in these pages encourages an open, inclusive, fact-based exploratory process for school and community planning.
This website was created to help decision makers form partnerships, collect data and use tools to inform the complicated decision of school location. These pages direct decision makers, including community members, to tools that can assist with information gathering to ensure data based, cooperative and inclusive decisions for your community. When decision makers work together communities thrive. Many states are struggling to maintain school enrollment and several states have experienced gradual declines in school enrollment despite increases in overall population, which makes planning for schools and community complex. It is essential that schools and community plan together in order to thrive, especially in states with flat or declining school enrollment.
The following pages include information on the relationship between school site and community planning, a process outline examples of data that should be mapped, shared, and analyzed for decision making as well as other tools and resources to assist the process.
As a community member with a passion for kids, safety and health as well as a school board member for over seven years, this website author recognizes the complexity of school site decisions and the competing factions present in decision making. The school siting information in these pages encourages an open, inclusive, fact-based exploratory process for school and community planning.
Good siting decisions:
Benefits of collaborative school planning:
Conversely, poorly planned school site decisions make it more difficult for children to get to and from school on their own. School closures disrupt entire communities, negatively impact community plans, reduce property values, and increase school transportation costs.
- Look beyond initial land costs and maximize use of public funds for schools, transportation, economic development, and land use
- Use defensible criteria and shared data for decision making
- Save money through shared use and alignment of community plans
- Improve access for walking, biking or wheelchair access, reduce school transportation costs and improve student health and safety
- Maximize sustainability and reduce costly short term options like closing and reopening schools
Benefits of collaborative school planning:
- Provides opportunity to coordinate schools, land use planning, public housing, and transportation
- Decreases pollution, traffic congestion
- Provides a platform to discover shared use opportunities between schools, parks, arts, music, recreation and libraries
Conversely, poorly planned school site decisions make it more difficult for children to get to and from school on their own. School closures disrupt entire communities, negatively impact community plans, reduce property values, and increase school transportation costs.
Schools and cities are publicly funded and have an obligation to consider costs and balance multiple viewpoints and priorities for best use of taxpayer dollars. School districts, health, housing, economic development, transportation and community planning can and should work together. Negotiating and balancing plans for your community takes vision, leadership and skill. An independent facilitator equipped with collaborative tools provides the venue to begin exploring best practice for school and community planning.
While each community has unique challenges, most communities confront similar challenges in four areas: funding - land availability, transportation/accessibility, and coordinated planning (Oregon School Siting Handbook).
Aerial maps (see mapping) populated with your community's information, are useful tools that promote collaboration and provide visuals that assist in decision making.
By Mapping Data decision makers are provided a more comprehensive view of the issues (i.e. school location, student location and population density, etc.) that relate to well-planned and sustainable schools sites.
Explore these pages and create the best long-term planning solution for your community. .
While each community has unique challenges, most communities confront similar challenges in four areas: funding - land availability, transportation/accessibility, and coordinated planning (Oregon School Siting Handbook).
Aerial maps (see mapping) populated with your community's information, are useful tools that promote collaboration and provide visuals that assist in decision making.
By Mapping Data decision makers are provided a more comprehensive view of the issues (i.e. school location, student location and population density, etc.) that relate to well-planned and sustainable schools sites.
Explore these pages and create the best long-term planning solution for your community. .