Transportation and rezoning ideas aired | Education | yourgv.com – YourGV.com
Transportation considerations and The thought of rezoning have been Delivered to The eye of the Halifax County School Board at a public listening to on the potential consolidation Of schools at Scottsburg Elementary School on Thursday.
This was the 4th public listening to out Of 5 wright here school board members and superintendent Dr. Mark Lineburg get An alternative To Take heed to questions and considerations from The general public relating to probably closing Clays Mill Elementary, Meadville Elementary and Sinai Elementary.
Lineburg was adamant about reminding The general public Thursday that, “no choice has been made,” and That they are open to completely different options to addressing a declining school enrollment and an growing older fleet of constructings.
About 12 people have been in attendance To Take heed to the proposals launched by Lineburg That options The possibilities of primarytaining all elementary schools open, closing one, two or three.
In his currentation, he outlines utility financial savings and financial savings in personnel In the event that they have been To close schools.
Halifax County School Board members attend a public listening to on the consolidation of elementary schools at Scottsburg Elementary School on Thursday.
He additionally defined that they presently spend $14,460,000 yrly paying personnel Inside the seven elementary schools, They typically’re presently being confronted with $45,773,534 in future facility prices Of The current elementary schools.
Included Inside the Greater than $45 million is a Clinic addition to Sinai and Meadville, electrical and plumbing upgrades, HVAC upgrades, window alternative and extra.
If they have been To close the three elementary schools, Lineburg said It’d save $2,307,500 yrly in personnel financial savings and $262,248 in operational financial savings.
Also, In the event that they have been To close the three elementary schools, roughly $37 million worth of renovations Want to be accomplished at Sydnor Jennings and Scottsburg Elementary to accommodate college students.
Superintendent Dr. Mark Lineburg outlines enrollment numbers, every school’s performance and probably financial savings at a public listening to on the consolidation of elementary schools at Scottsburg Elementary School on Thursday
If they moved to solely having 4 elementary schools, Lineburg additionally said providers Similar to full time artwork, music, counselor, speech and listening to providers Can be increaseed to The primary schools.
Tright here are presently 214 college students at Scottsburg, They typically had 229 college students final yr, however Lineburg said the constructing might primarytain 538.
If they have been to consolidate elementary schools, Lineburg said They might hope To enhance Scottsburg’s enrollment to 450 with A imply class measurement of 19 To twenty college students per class.
In 2005-2006, Scottsburg had 313 college students.
Consolidation Is additionally predicted To enhance Cluster Springs Elementary School enrollment to 580, which had 644 college students Inside the 2005-2006 school yr; South Boston Elementary School enrollment Is predicted To enhance to 780, which had 734 Inside the 2005-2006 school yr; and Sydnor Jennings Elementary School’s enrollment Is predicted To enhance to 480, which had 287 Inside the 2005-2006 school yr.
Following the superintendent’s currentation, Rev. Alfred Chandler requested Lineburg and The varsity board, “how would transportation Of college students be impacted with consolidation?”
He additionally requested redistricting And the method They might decide which schools would stay open and which college students would attend wright here.
Jimmy Anderson urges The varsity board To imagine about prolonged bus journeys and suggests rezoning with out consolidating at a public listening to at Scottsburg Elementary School on Thursday.
Jimmy Anderson additionally had considerations about transportation and reminded the board that the county is the third largest Inside the state.
“Everytime You’ve 4 schools, somebody Goes to have to journey a bus An prolonged strategies,” he said.
He additionally suggested rezoning to unfold the inhabitants To A pair of of the smaller schools.
“I didn’t vote for the gross sales tax To close elementary schools. It was marketed as a capital enhancement fund for All of the schools. Now it seems The one selection is To close schools or enhance property taxes as a lot as eight cents,” said Anderson.
He additionally urged the board to rethink constructing A mannequin new Highschool.
“A lot of The footage and advertisements I’ve seen on needing A mannequin new Highschool Could be fixed with Barely extra upkeep. Some of them Could be fixed with a bucket of paint,” said Anderson.
Jack Dunavant provides transportation considerations and suggests shifting grade ranges to the elementary schools all by way of a potential listening to on the consolidating of elementary schools at Scottsburg Elementary on Thursday.
Also taking The podium Through The general public listening to was Jack Dunavant, who said as he sat inside Scottsburg Elementary, he felt compelled To converse.
He referred to as the elementary schools “prime-notch,” and Recognized that the metallic beams Inside The varsity would “final eternally” if The varsity system retains a coat of paint on them and retains the roof in Nice situation.
“These partitions don’t decay. They are going to be right here eternally,” said Dunavant. “We’re blessed with these amenities. We now have To Search out makes use of for them, good makes use of. I take pjourney in coming to see this constructing. I take pjourney in all the constructings we acquired… I hope that We will Uncover A method To return collectively To save tons of what we acquired.”
He additionally urged the board To Take inTo imagine aboutation the prolonged bus journeys youngsters would take In the event that they have been to consolidate schools and suggested shifting A pair of of the older grades again to the elementary schools.
ED-8 trustee Walter Potts was absent from The general public listening to.