| Boro high schools facing likely rezone |
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By: MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer
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Posted: Thursday, December 18, 2008 10:39 am
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Every Rutherford County student needs room to grow and learn, Director of Schools Harry Gill Jr. said at a meeting Wednesday night to review the proposed rezoning of Murfreesboro high schools.
“We want kids in a classroom in a seat. ….” Gill said. “Wherever they end up, they’ll get a good education.”
Gill and members of the school board met with RCS planner and enrollment forecaster Shane Morgan to hear several proposals of how to reduce overcrowding at Riverdale High School and improve the economic status of Oakland.
The board announced it is rescheduling public hearing originally scheudled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. A new date will be announced after the holidays.
Click here for a copy of the rezoning maps.
Riverdale has become increasing overcrowded in the past few years, pushing the student population to 2,256 in a school design for only 2,000 students.
“Literally, there is no place to put another portable,” School Board Chairman Mark Brynes said.
The board heard proposals that would move students to Blackman High, which a student population of 1,900, more square footage and room to grow.
The first proposal (Area 1A on the map) would move 243 students in the Cason Lane area, located from Cason on the east to near Rucker Lane on the west, to Blackman. The shift would decrease Riverdale’s population to 2,013 and increase Blackman High’s population to 2,143.
Second, the board heard a proposal that would move 218 students living along River Rock Road from Interstate 24 to Cason Lane (Area 1B). This shift would decrease Riverdale’s population to 2,041 and put 2,118 students in Blackman.
The third proposal (Area 2) covers I-24 to Broad Street from Middle Tennessee Boulevard to Old Fort Parkway and would shift 144 students, reducing Riverdale’s population to 2,112 and increasing Blackman’s to 2,044.
The board showed no preference between the proposals, but did discuss the impact on Blackman in coming years, fearing it would just trade overcrowding at Riverdale for overcrowding at Blackman.
“That’s the reason we need Stewart’s Creek …” Gill said. “At Riverdale we don’t even have room to locate a portable anymore.”
Gill explained Blackman has more room to absorb students. Also the board plans on opening a new Stewart’s Creek high school in or before 2012, which would move students from Blackman, as well as Smyrna and La Vergne high schools.
The board then heard proposals to reduce the number of students on free and reduced lunch at Oakland by moving Siegel high schools students from more affluent areas.
The first proposal (Area 3) would move 202 students living in downtown Murfreesboro from Siegel to Oakland. But the proposed move would actually increase the number of poor students at Oakland from 36 percent to 39 percent and decrease Siegel’s burden, going from 20 percent to 15 percent.
The second proposal (Area 4) was more well received and would move students living east of along Lebanon Road to the north of Thompson Lane back to Oakland.
The board seemed more accepting of this proposal as it would reduce Oakland’s free and reduced lunch population from 36 percent to 34 percent.
“If this were chosen as it is now, it would increase the ethnic diversity at both schools,” Morgan explained.
Gill said the Area 4 proposal was preferable because students from this area would likely attend the new middle school on Dejarnett Lane when it is in the next few years.
Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.
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