DCS Redistricting Update

At last night’s Board of Education meeting, Dublin City Schools focused on high school redistricting—why it’s needed, how options are being evaluated, and what decisions and next steps look like moving forward.

This e-newsletter includes a brief recap of that discussion, with links to resources that provide additional detail on where the process stands mid-way. Thanks for taking a moment to review this update and stay informed!

Superintendent Dr. John Marschhausen opened his Superintendent's report by reflecting on the progress made in the redistricting process since its launch last spring. The district has released three draft high school maps to date, gathering thousands of survey responses and hundreds of emails from families.

In a statement to the Board, Dr. Marschhausen reiterated that Board Policy 5120 places responsibility for redistricting with the Superintendent and emphasized his commitment to transparency and community input at every stage. Dr. Marschhausen also acknowledged that course corrections have been made in recent weeks in response to public feedback and Board input. “We’ve learned a lot through this process,” Dr. Marschhausen said. “It’s been emotional and challenging, but our focus remains the same—to balance enrollment across Jerome, Coffman, and Scioto so all students have equitable access to programs and opportunities, and the district can operate efficiently.”

To help the Board understand how project decisions align with district policy, Dr. Marschhausen shared a Policy/Project Criteria Crosswalk, connecting Board Policy 5120 to the eight guiding criteria used by Cropper GIS.

Superintendent Marschhausen shared that the Internal Planning Team (IPT) reconvened on October 9 to analyze and score the three draft maps. He explained that the team also took time to further define each criterion to ensure consistent interpretation and application throughout the process. For the Board’s awareness, Executive Directors and the Public Information Officer outlined how each criterion was defined and applied during the scoring discussion.

Using a 0–10 rating scale across the eight equally weighted criteria, the highest possible total was 1,200 points. The IPT scored the maps as follows:

• Map III: 719
• Map I: 629
• Map II: 550
  
  

Additionally, the Internal Planning Team considered a map that had been circulated by the public in the community, giving the Public Concept map a score of 555.

Initial survey results show stronger support for drafts maps I and III and strong opposition to draft map II. Community-stated priorities include keeping neighborhoods/contiguous zones together, efficient transportation, and clear feeder patterns. Cropper GIS is continuing to analyze open-ended responses for themes. The survey closes October 24.

A traffic study using routes within Maps I, II, and III was shared with the Board. The study, conducted by engineering firm ms consultants, examined 17 locations with multiple criteria, including a.m. peak traffic times, afternoon dismissal traffic patterns, p.m. peak traffic times, bicycle and pedestrian routes with lighting along those routes, major hills, and grades.

Based on the question-and-answer session with board members, feedback from the board, feedback from the community, the map scoring and traffic study, the next steps include:

• Focusing on Maps I and III, with Map II now rejected.
• Based on Board feedback, Superintendent Marschhausen will confer with Cropper GIS and the Internal Planning Team and will hold one-on-one meetings with board members in studying what changes can be made to Maps I and III to increase each map’s score, with the goal of increasing scoring to 900 of the possible 1,200.
• Based on Board feedback, Superintendent Marschhausen and his team will produce a chart showing the flow of students from each elementary school to middle schools and then from each middle school to high schools, to help document feeder patterns.
• Community feedback will continue.
• The latest information on Maps I and III will be presented in public at the Oct. 29 Board meeting, where public comment also will be accepted.

We know there’s a high level of community interest in the October 29 Board of Education Work Session, and we want to plan accordingly.

Those interested in speaking during open Public Participation should complete the Public Participation Form to register in advance. Participants will be scheduled to speak on a first-come, first-served basis.

While the Board values hearing from our community, the Cropper GIS Redistricting Survey is the best place to share feedback related to redistricting. Responses submitted through the survey go directly to Cropper, the independent firm guiding this process, ensuring every comment is reviewed, recorded, and considered as part of the data-driven redistricting recommendations.

As shared during last night’s meeting, email also remains one of the fastest ways to communicate with Board members. They can be reached at boe@dublinschools.net.

Why are we adding on to Scioto High School and redistricting?
In 2024, Dublin City Schools partnered with Planning NEXT on the Focus on the Future project — a community-driven process that explored how to manage continued enrollment growth. The outcome? A recommendation to add classrooms at Dublin Scioto High School and update attendance boundaries across the district. Both steps will help balance enrollment and make the best use of our existing buildings.

Can the district redraw boundaries so students attend another district or form a new one?
No. School district boundaries are set by the State of Ohio and can only be changed through a lengthy legal process that requires agreement from both school districts — the one giving land and the one receiving it. Dublin City Schools cannot simply “redraw” its outer boundaries.

Does the school district control housing growth and development?
No. Dublin City Schools does not approve or manage new housing developments — those decisions are made by city, township, and county governments. Our job is to educate the students who live within our boundaries, no matter where growth occurs.

Who pays school taxes?
It’s important to note that Dublin City Schools is not the same as the City of Dublin. Our school district extends beyond city limits and includes families in several communities. All residents who live within the Dublin City Schools district — whether their address is in Dublin, Columbus, Hilliard, Powell, Plain City, or elsewhere — contribute through local property taxes. These funds support our schools, staff, and students across the entire district.