Some Hamilton County students could find themselves attending new schools if a rezoning proposal wins approval from the Board of Education.
The board held a facilities planning meeting Monday evening where administrators shared a rezoning proposal that would move East Ridge High School students living north of Interstate 24 and Hixson High students living south of the Tennessee River to Brainerd High School in an effort to relieve overcrowding.
The proposed rezone would also move East Ridge Middle School students living north of I-24 to Dalewood Middle School.
An official vote on the proposal will take place no later than February and would take effect next fall, Superintendent Justin Robertson said Monday.
Both East Ridge High and East Ridge Middle are over 100% capacity, while Brainerd High and Dalewood Middle have room to spare.
The change would move 192 students -- 148 from East Ridge High and 44 from Hixson High -- to Brainerd High, lowering East Ridge High's utilization from 101% to 86% and increasing Brainerd High's utilization from 59% to 77%.
Hixson High is at 81% capacity and would decrease to 77% if rezoned.
The proposal also moves 127 students from East Ridge Middle to Dalewood Middle, which would lower East Ridge Middle's utilization from 103% to 85% and increase Dalewood Middle's utilization from 39% to 58%.
If slated for rezoning, students have the option to stay at their school of origin for one calendar year but must provide their own transportation, Robertson said.
Board member Jill Black, D-Lookout Mountain, said she was concerned for current juniors.
"I certainly wouldn't want to change schools my senior year," Black said.
District officials estimate that 34 juniors who attend East Ridge High and four who attend Hixson High would be rezoned to Brainerd High in fall 2023.
"That's the hard part of doing this," Robertson said.
He reiterated that they would be allowed to stay at their school if they could provide their own transportation.
Board member Marco Perez, an independent of Signal Mountain, asked administrators if they could provide data on how many zoned students rely on busing so board members could consider the effect on families before voting.
"It may not change the decision by any means, but it would be helpful to know how many students are going on a bus," Perez said.
District officials are working to schedule a community meeting with families in the East Ridge area for input on the proposal. The meeting will be held sometime in December but details have yet to be announced.
Contact Carmen Nesbitt at cnesbitt@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327. Follow her on Twitter @carmen_nesbitt.