Published: December 20, 2005 12:00 am            

Redistricting opponents: New plan could harm community

Beaverdale Elementary in the booming north end of Whitfield County will have to reach too far and wide to populate its halls when it opens in the fall of 2006, opponents of a proposed redistricting plan said at public hearings on Monday.

Whitfield County Schools’ proposed new school district lines cut too far into Cohutta and Varnell community boundaries, some said.

Local developer Karen Horne is co-planning the “Rockingham” subdivision in the Varnell city limits with investors such as former major league pitcher John Rocker that, under redistricting, would send its students to Cohutta Elementary.

“They’re facing overcrowding in some schools, but they build a new school (in Beaverdale) out in the boonies near the Murray County line,” Horne said. “Because the new school is underpopulated, they’re busing students in, and who knows what the transportation cost will be.”

Beaverdale Elementary’s proposed district would extend north to Whitfield County’s northeast border, west to Cleveland Highway just north of Varnell Elementary, and southward to just north of Dawnville Elementary.

Varnell City Manager Ralph Morgan said city leaders are concerned that the proposal could further fragment his town.

“Like the slicing of a pie, Varnell residents have been splintered all over the county. You’d think with two schools in Varnell, the nucleus of students could go to school there,” Morgan said. “Since the ‘70s, you’ve bused children out of Varnell and bused other students in — to the point there’s almost no such thing as a Varnell community. We ask that you use a little compassion this time.”

Daniel Vanoy, Whitfield County’s assistant superintendent for administrative services, said he asked school board members about the history of the site selection for Beaverdale Elementary.

“How did we end up here? The committee looked for a piece of property big enough to hold a school at a different location closer in,” Vanoy said. “It’s my understanding none were available without using powers of eminent domain.”

Board chairman Charles Oliver said the system’s goal was to find relief for overcrowding at New Hope, Dawnville and Varnell elementary schools.

“The challenge was to pull from those three schools to help them, and to populate Beaverdale,” Oliver said. “We knew we had to have a school in the north and east, but we couldn’t find a location further south. We believe in the theory that ‘if you build it, they will come.’ We built New Hope five years ago, and after two years it was full. We’re pretty sure the same scenario will come to Beaverdale.”

The redistricting subcommittee is made up of 14 citizens from across the county. Dan Rogers is co-chair of the committee with John Thomas.

“Most of the questions we heard today are the same ones we’ve been grappling with,” Rogers said. “There are no easy answers. We’re trying to look at the big picture and create minimum disruption for teachers and families. Busing is always a factor when you deal with a large geographic area, but we don’t want to bus students further than we have to.”

The current proposal, “Scenario 3,” would create a net loss of 113 students for New Hope Elementary (684 to 571); 105 for Dawnville (711 to 606); 97 for Pleasant Grove (628 to 531); 91 for Varnell (634 to 543), and 60 for Westside (780 to 720).

Beaverdale Elementary’s enrollment at opening is expected to be approximately 424 students. Tunnel Hill Elementary would gain approximately 60 students for an enrollment of 387.

New Hope Middle would house 464 students at opening, having relieved North Whitfield Middle of 354 of its 1,006 students, for an enrollment of 652. Westside Middle would drop from 616 students to 551, and Eastbrook Middle would decrease in size from 803 to 758 students.

An unintended result of the redistricting is that Northwest Whitfield High (1,963 enrollment) would see an increase of 71 students who would have previously attended Southeast (1,355), a result of trying to keep students in the same elementary-middle-high school scheme.

“We didn’t want to move more students to Northwest,” Vanoy said.

A grandfather clause will allow students currently attending any elementary, middle or high school to continue at that school until time to graduate to the next school level. The students must have their own transportation, however, and siblings not yet in school do not qualify.

“People in other parts of the state would laugh to see how concerned we are about this because other than New Hope Elementary, we’ve not had to deal with redistricting in 25 years,” Oliver said. “It’s a tough chore because people don’t live in nice, concentric circles around schools.”

Vanoy and Oliver agreed more redistricting will come soon — another elementary and a “centralized” high school are expected to be built within five years.

Vanoy said the concerns heard Monday will be taken to the full redistricting committee, which plans to meet on Jan. 3 at 4 p.m.

        

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