Parent meetings
Scheduled meetings on proposed school zoning changes:› Loftis Middle School: Today at 6 p.m.› Alpine Crest Elementary: March 21 at 6 p.m.› Calvin Donaldson Elementary: March 22 at 6 p.m.› Barger Academy: March 24 at 6 p.m.Source: Hamilton County Schools Assistant Superintendent Lee McDade
A crowd of disgruntled parents accused Hamilton County Schools leaders of poor communication when they learned Monday night about zoning changes that would split up their students when the century-old Falling Water Elementary School in Hixson closes for good in May.
"The thing that is frustrating to us is the lack of communication," said Shannon Shaver, whose daughter is a third-grader at Falling Water.
"Trust me, I know about lack of communication," said Hamilton County Board of Education member Rhonda Thurman, who had taken the microphone to address the angry crowd just hours after school Superintendent Rick Smith announced he was stepping down.
The school board will vote in mid-April on multiple school zoning changes that will affect students districtwide. Monday night's meeting was the first of five scheduled for the next two weeks across the district.
Falling Water Elementary, a 104-year-old school with a backdrop of Walden's Ridge, has been scheduled to close for more than a year, with officials citing growing expenses to update and keep the small, fewer-than-200-students school open.
But parents said they were surprised Monday night they hadn't been told a third of the students who live on the mountain will be bused to Soddy Elementary when the area is rezoned. Officials said parents had the option to request a transfer to the new Ganns Middle Valley Elementary School, but they won't be given transportation. The 106 students in the valley will be bused to the new Hixson elementary school that will open in August.
Assistant Superintendent Lee McDade said the decision to split up the student body was made after considering how long it would take for students on the mountain to get to class.
Parents also took the opportunity at the public forum to plead with school leaders to reconsider closing the school where their children were second-, third- and some even fourth-generation students. The school holds significant meaning in the community, they said.
"My grandmother went here and my father, then me and my children," said Rebecca Vadergriff-Brzostowski after the meeting.
Two of her youngest children still attend the school and will now have to go to the new elementary school, which is more than five times as large and much farther away, she said.
Several parents also pointed out that Falling Water was awarded a 2015 National Blue Ribbon of Excellence and said that should be considered when deciding whether to close the school.
"This school is a blue ribbon school, neither one of the other schools are as good," shouted John Murphy from the back of the gym. "Do any of the parents complain about the school and the shape it's in? Has anybody gotten any complaints?"
McDade shook his head. After more parents began to shout and several babies wailed, Thurman, who was sitting on the front row, jumped to her feet and took the microphone from McDade.
She told the crowd that she had met with several families who lived on the mountain and they said they agreed with the rezoning changes and would rather send their students to Soddy Elementary.
As for losing their neighborhood school, Thurman agreed it would be difficult.
"I live just around the corner," she said.
"This is hard for everybody. This is hard for me," she told the crowd. "I hate to close all the old schools. I love them. But it just comes a time when we can't afford to keep them open. These kids are being cheated out of technology."
Contact staff writer Joy Lukachick Smith at jsmith@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659.