Rick Smith, Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools.The Hamilton County Board of Education should have a plan in place by April outlining how it will rezone schools to combat overcrowding on the county’s east side, school board members said.
The board’s Facilities Committee met Wednesday to discuss a rezoning of certain schools and to hear about the progress of the under-construction Red Bank Middle School and the upcoming construction of a new Ooltewah Elementary School.
Officials said they want to be as transparent as possible with the rezoning process, which will target schools such as East Hamilton Middle-High School. Built for about 1,650 students and opened in 2009, East Hamilton already houses more than 2,000. Teachers must float between classrooms to have enough space for all classes.
“They are literally at the point where they have no more space to do that,” said Schools Superintendent Rick Smith. “We’re to a point where we have to make a decision about zoning.”
While East Hamilton is a top priority, Smith said rezoning will target several schools. Hunter Middle and Ooltewah Middle could be rezoned because they’re both currently under capacity, he said.