Rapid Westside growth leads to rezoning ‘domino effect’ in Medina Valley ISD

Silos, a master-planned subdivision located along U.S. Highway 90 and State Highway 211, features dense single-family homes surrounding the future Silos Elementary in Medina Valley ISD.Silos Elementary School is a sprawling $43 million campus under construction on the slight ridge of a new subdivision in far west Bexar County., a mostly rural but rapidly growing district, plans to open its sixth school for kindergarten through fifth-grade students there in the fall.

The situation illustrates how San Antonio’s bourgeoning western growth is having a disruptive impact on school districts that once served mostly rural and less populated areas. The student population at Medina Valley ISD has grown by more than 56% in the last decade, making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, according to a district spokeswoman.

Finding and acquiring land, even in a district that spans 300 square miles, is costly and challenging. “Where the heavy development is, the only land that’s left is land that’s not very desirable,” he said. “Either the topography is not good utilities may be challenging. … Access to the property might be a challenge. There’s a lot that goes into purchasing a piece of land.

Some children are being rezoned to a school that is farther away than their current school, creating a time and transportation burden, parents say. The district also invited families to submit an in-district transfer request if they have been rezoned and don’t want to switch schools. But those requests will be considered on an individual basis without any preference for hardships, Caloss said.

“For many of my neighbors, that was a selling point for the house, they wanted to be within a two-mile radius of a school,” she added. Caloss said he “can’t guarantee” transportation for all students because it’s a challenge to hire enough drivers. But the situation has improved since he began working in the district almost two years ago, he said.

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