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Jim Lukash's preschool daughter has looked forward to starting kindergarten at Addison Elementary School, directly across the street from the family home on Middlefield Road.

But such are the exigencies of school enrollment demands that the Lukash home, despite its proximity to Addison, will be assigned to Walter Hays Elementary School in new boundaries expected to be finalized Jan. 29.

"Under this proposal our daughter is banned from attending the school that's directly across the street," Lukash told the Board of Education Tuesday night.

Board members said they sympathized with Lukash, but maintained the boundary is being changed to prevent worse problems for a greater number of families. All five indicated they intend to support the change when it comes up for vote Jan. 29.

With an explosion of young families in the current Addison attendance area, dozens of students in recent years have been "overflowed" to schools across town. At the same time, Walter Hays has had room to spare, officials said.

The boundary change -- to take effect this fall -- will mean greater certainty that neighborhood families will in fact be able to attend their assigned schools, they said. Current Addison students and their younger siblings will be able to stay at Addison.

The new boundaries will shift about 20 blocks of households, both north and south of Embarcadero Road and east and west of Middlefield, from the Addison to the Walter Hays attendance area.

The shift will mean more children trying to cross Middlefield at Kellogg Avenue and Melville Avenue, and officials said safety protocols are still being worked out.

But Lukash was the only parent to publicly oppose the boundary change before the board.

"I know the staff has a difficult job ... and I greatly respect them for their efforts," Lukash said.

"I also recognize that no matter what they recommend, someone will be standing at this podium complaining. But any boundary plan that prevents a student who lives directly across the street from attending is unfair."

— Chris Kenrick

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