District 7 School Board member Jodi Schaffer on Monday unveiled a plan that she said would bring temporary relief to overcrowding in the East Brainerd elementary schools.
She told members of the board's Facilities Committee that Apison Elementary is at 104 percent capacity, East Brainerd at 113 percent and Westview at 128 percent. At the same time, she said East Hamilton High School is at 65 percent and East Hamilton Middle School at 77 percent.
Ms. Schaffer is proposing changing the grade configurations to K-3 in the elementaries, 4-6 in East Hamilton Middle School and 7-12 at East Hamilton High School.
She told the board, "There were 2,000 sewer lines granted this year. Already, all our elementaries are overcrowded."
Ms. Schaffer said she wanted to "get ahead of the curve" and have the sizable changes in place by this August.
A number of board members spoke in favor, calling the idea creative and innovative. Board members Jackie Thomas and Karitsa Jones said they had a number of questions while pointing to similar problems in their own schools that needed to be addressed.
Supt. Justin Robertson said the grade reconfiguration "is not new," noting he had gone to a K-3 school. He said this plan could be part of a larger discussion about redistricting and getting better use from non-capacity schools.
However, he said the idea of implementing the plan five months from now "gives me heartburn." He noted there would be significant busing and staffing moves necessary.
Ms. Schaeffer said the move needs to happen this year. She said, "We are losing families and students every day. They are going to other schools. We want to welcome them into the HamFam."
The first-term board member, who is an attorney, said she will have a child in each school under the new arrangement.
Ms. Schaffer said the grades would be grouped perfectly to focus on literacy, older elementary students would have the benefit of sports and arts facilities, and seventh and eighth graders would have earlier access to honors classes.
“We are willing to be the pilot to get the data for how it can work in your districts,” she told the board.
Talk turned to overcrowded schools in other districts while county officials continue to allow large numbers of new homes to be built.
“We’re about to have this same issue on the back of Signal Mountain, where we don’t have room in elementary schools and we’re building more houses,” said Supt. Robertson. “If sewer goes up to God’s country, we’re going to be in trouble in places up there where we’re going to have to have hard zoning conversations.”
He said Hamilton County is in all three situations that bring discussion of rezoning: new school buildings, merging schools, and overcrowding or underutilization.
“There’s going to have to be a question somewhere around rezoning,” Dr. Robertson said, guessing within two years.
East Hamilton High School Principal Brent Eller told the committee that he likes Ms. Schaffer’s five-year fix and looks forward to following up with rezoning.
“As soon as we make room, that room is going to fill up pretty soon,” he said.
“I like the idea,” said School Board Chairman Joe Smith, and “I know it’s coming. Rezoning is coming.”
District 5 school board member Jones said the Hamilton County Commission should include Hamilton County Schools in growth decisions as the region’s population booms.
“Where’s our voice?” asked Ms. Jones. “Come one, come all to Hamilton County,” she said, pointing to prolific property rezoning and permitting. “We just don’t have the space,” she said.
East Hamilton schools are not on the county-wide facilities plan until year seven, it was stated. Ms. Schaffer’s plan would absorb new families for about five years.
“I’m not asking for another building,” Ms. Schaffer said. “We’re trying to be creative and innovative with what we have.”
“We are losing families in the East Ham Fam,” she said. “I want to retain my community.”
“We need a fix now in East Hamilton,” she said, and later, “2025. That’s what I’m asking,” she said.
Ms. Schaeffer said there would be a community meeting to discuss the plan on March 6 at 6 p.m. at East Hamilton High School.