December 05, 2002
By NANCY SMALLWOOD
Staff Writer
The process of implementing new elementary and middle school boundary lines was completed when Forsyth County Board of Education members approved the final plan at their November meeting.
The school system was forced to draft new lines in order to accommodate for the opening of a new elementary school, Sharon Elementary, next fall and a new middle school, Riverwatch Middle School, in the fall of 2004. Other goals of the plan included utilizing existing space in current schools, maximizing growth space at each school and redistrict so that students would not be moved again for two more years.
The process of drafting the new lines began last July and administrators brought the proposal to a system wide meeting of the local school council members. The plan then was presented at an open hearing for the public and four months later finally brought before the school board members for their approval. During the process two major changes to the plan were implemented due to public participation, according to Associate Superintendent Jane Fuqua.
The changes included moving Mary Alice Park Road and Timberlake students from Mashburn Elementary to Cumming Elementary. The change was made after a parent made the suggestion to Fuqua via e-mail.
"It's been a thorough process," said Fuqua. "And it is the first time in my 30 years people have wanted to move."
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Parents and students of south Forsyth County from Bridle Ridge, Deerlake, Laurel Springs, Aberdeen, Fairgreen, Glencree, Old Atlanta Road, Saint Marks and Saint Marlo for the most part were not opposed to being moved to the new Sharon Elementary School from Big Creek and Settles Bridge. Sharon has a maximum capacity of 112 students and will open with a proposed 933 students next fall. However, school officials are estimating the school will be at 1041 the following year and another new elementary is proposed being built in 2005 to relieve its' capacity.
A highly debated issue was the move of Windermere East Village from Daves Creek to Settles Bridge Elementary. School officials eventually agreed to keep the large development together after another proposal was made to move another group of students to the school. Some Vickery Creek Elementary parents did accuse the school system of trying to fill up other schools when they were informed of being moved to Sawnee but Fuqua insisted this accusation was not correct.
"If we did not make the change this year they would be over capacity next year and a change would have to be made," said Fuqua. "If you look at the numbers over the years Vickery Creek has not been moved for six years."
The change in the middle school boundary lines for 2004 mainly involved the following subdivisions transferring to the new Riverwatch Middle School: Chattahoochee River Club, Aberdeen, Bridle Ridge, Deerlake, Fairgreen, Glencree, Laurel Springs, Old Atlanta Road, Rivermist, Saint Marlo, Saint Marks and Windermere (East Village).
The board did agree to grant a grandfather provision to rising fourth graders which would allow them to remain at their current elementary school. If students choose to remain, parents would have to follow the out of district policy and provide transportation, according to Fuqua. The clause was also approved for rising eighth grade students for the following year.
The new district lines can be viewed on the school system's website at www.forsyth.k12.ga.us and maps of the new lines are posted at the school system's administration office on Ga. 9.
In other business the school board approved the school calendar for the next school year. The 2003-2004 school year will begin Aug. 11 and end May 28 with a winter break from Dec. 22 to Jan. 6 (including two staff development days). The spring break for students will begin the first day in April if two days are not needed for inclement weather and end
April 9. Board members approved the calendar with the possibility of additional early release (professional development) days to be determined.
The calendar is very similar to the metro area schools' calendar, according to Fuqua. Board Chairman Ben Benson said he hoped in the future the administration could consider a more alternate calendar.
"Hopefully, sometime we will visit an alternative but this seems to be the closest we can come now," said Benson. "I would like to see the gap closed and more breaks initiated throughout the year."
School Superintendent Paula Gault assured Benson the system was researching the issue and conversations had begun on the matter.
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