Portage Public Schools Redrawing District Lines

PORTAGE (Newschannel3) - New school boundaries are being drawn up in Portage, and it could affect nearly 1,500 students in the Portage School District.

Waylee Elementary is closing, leaving 400 students to be split up between Lake Center, Woodland and Central Elementaries.

And the shift would mean changes at other schools as well. If the redistricting plan goes through, over 1,000 elementary school students will be heading to new schools in the fall of 2009.

The cause of the the changes is due to the closing of one school and the building of another.

Tom Vance, Spokesman for Portage Public Schools, says the main guiding principal is to move as few students as possible. The district hopes to keep neighborhood groups together as they attend schools, and minimize time on buses.

In addition, the schools also want to minimize bus routes.