Though members of the school board said they were left out of the Hamilton County school facilities working group and felt “disrespected” by the process, district Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson said the group’s recommendation, revealed in August, is a beginning. He said school board and community involvement begins now.
The plan controversially recommends closing Alpine Crest Elementary School, a neighborhood school built in the 1950s and the only elementary school within Red Bank city limits, as well as Rivermont Elementary School and Hixson Elementary School to combine them with Dupont Elementary School. It also recommends closing Daisy Elementary School to combine it with Soddy Daisy Middle and High Schools.
“I know that district better than anyone and I was never really asked about it,” said board member Rhonda Thurman. “I find that extremely disrespectful.”
Ms. Thurman said this process was more secretive than any building campaign in her 19 years of service on the board.
“Sometimes we are informed with the public, out of respect to the public,” said board member Marco Perez. “And now comes the work,” he said.
Facilities Committee Chair Karitsa Jones said, “I, too, felt very disrespected in this process as a board member and as facilities committee chair.”
“I’m not rubber stamping anything,” Ms. Jones said.
School board member Joe Smith graduated from Alpine Crest in 1965, the first class to attend kindergarten through fifth grade. He said there’s been discussion of a bigger elementary school along Hixson Pike for 25 years. At that time, he said, the YMCA property near Dupont Elementary was a major contender in the wake of a big analysis of school facilities by firm MGT.
“To me (this) just makes all the sense in the world,” said Mr. Smith. “I know change is hard.”
He said the common refrain that the county has too many schools is often followed by “Don’t close mine.”
“Some tough decisions are going to have to be made,” he said.
Board member Jill Black cautioned against a blind copy of East Brainerd Elementary School, which opened in 2015 and has almost 1,200 students.
“Please don’t make our elementary schools too big,” said Ms. Black. “Is it working? Is it what’s best for students?” She asked, “What is the sweet spot number” for schools to have full offerings yet remain community schools?
For example, schools with more than six classes per grade will have split teaching teams, she said, sacrificing a level of consistency in planning.
But small neighborhood schools are expensive.
“I think we have to acknowledge that we don’t live in a community that’s willing to pay for those,” she said.
Board members Ben Connor and Mr. Perez said they will continue to vote for funding for schools whose closures may be vague for years. Rivermont stands to receive $1 million in a school board vote next week.
“Our students are in those schools today,” Mr. Perez said.
In a surprise move, the county commission had cut the school facilities maintenance budget by $6 million this year in favor of $60 million later. Dr. Robertson said more specific funding information will come in December or January.
“The truth is, behind the scenes we don’t even have the money for this,” said Mr. Perez, who is chair of the finance committee.
Mr. Perez conceded that the working group’s “proactive” plan is a departure from the district’s crisis-reactive modus operandi of the last decade, he said.
School board Chair Tiffanie Robinson and Dr. Robertson served on the mayor’s working group. Dr. Robertson met one-on-one with each board member during the process.
The department of education will hold community meetings in each school district through October. The school board will compile a final recommendation for Dr. Robertson, who will make changes and then a recommendation to the county commission.
Dr. Robertson aims to make his recommendation by January so that it can be worked into the FY25 budget to be approved in June.
FIRST REACTIONS FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD:
Ms. Black called it “gross oversight” to leave out a solution for overcrowding at Howard School, which has about 1,525 students this school year. Dr. Robertson said after years of growth Howard’s enrollment has leveled out this year, which may allow some reasonable planning.
“I’m tickled that we’re getting a new Soddy Daisy Elementary School,” said Ms. Thurman, but the location is all wrong and doesn’t consider traffic and parking issues.
“We’re going to be the next East Hamilton, I’m afraid,” she said. “I just don’t think that’s wise.”
COMMUNITY MEETINGS:
Thursday, Sept. 28, 6-7:45 p.m. - DISTRICT 11, East Lake Academy cafeteria
Monday, Oct. 2, 6-7:45 p.m. - RIVERMONT meeting at Rivermont Elementary School
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 6-7:45 p.m. - DISTRICTS 3 and 6, location TBD
Wednesday, Oct. 4, 6-7:45 p.m. - GOLDEN GATEWAY campus on MLK Boulevard, location TBD
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 6-7:45 p.m. - BRAINERD HIGH SCHOOL, location TBD
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 6-7:45 p.m. - SODDY DAISY MIDDLE SCHOOL at Soddy Daisy High School