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THE Hoover Forum
http://hooverforum.com/hoover/YaBB.pl General Category >> Schools and Board of Education >> Rezoning History http://hooverforum.com/hoover/YaBB.pl?num=1202227776 Message started by HSCIN on 02/05/08 at 10:09am |
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Title: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/05/08 at 10:09am Here are a few documents from the last time around. Please take a moment to read the HSCIN's writeup at http://www.hscin.org/Zoningupdate.htm#Recent_Rezoning_Information_-_A_History The process began in Fall of 2004 with telephone surveys of 300 households of persons with children in Hoover schools. A series of Focus Groups was conducted to further develop the most important Values for this community when considering a zoning plan. Here are the results http://www.hscin.org/CommunityPlanningTeamValues.pdf "HOOVER COMMUNITY VALUES RELATED TO ATTENDANCE ZONING As Expressed in Community Focus Groups November 22, 2004 HOOVER CITY SCHOOLS A. NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL VALUES 1. Schools would have a neighborhood identity 2. It would be easy for parents to be involved in their child’s school B. GEOGRAPHIC VALUES 1. Children’s schools would be close to their homes 2. Children/Parents would spend as little time as possible traveling between home and school 3. Parents and teenage drivers would avoid dangerous traffic on the roadways between home and school C. ACADEMIC VALUES 1. Ensure similar educational quality and high test scores in all schools 2. Ensure similar student teacher ratios in all schools 3. Ensure all schools offer the same variety of quality classes D. EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAM VALUES 1. Ensure that all schools have many extracurricular programs of similar quality 2. Ensure schools are large enough to field strong sports teams E. SOCIAL VALUES 1. Enable children to go to school with neighbors, those seen in other settings like church and sports activities 2. Ensure groups of students and friends are together throughout K – 12 3. Preserve school traditions such as colors, team names 4. Children stay together when making transition from ES to MS and MS to HS F. DIVERSITY VALUES 1. Ensure there is economic diversity in all schools 2. Ensure there is racial diversity in all schools 3. All schools contain a balance of students who live in apartments and students who live in single-family houses G. FACILITIES VALUES 1. Ensure equitable, modern school facilities for every school H. PLANNING PROCESS VALUES 1. Ensure there is planning for Hoover’s future growth 2. Disrupt as few students as possible with rezoning changes 3. Ensure future zoning changes occur at natural breaks such as before Middle School or High School. 4. Make zoning changes as infrequently as possible I. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY VALUES 1. Be fiscally responsible; spend money wisely 2. Ensure continued strong financial support by the community" After the Community Planning Team hashed out the details, here's the Adopted Zoning Plan, http://www.hscin.org/AdoptedZoningPlan.pdf "Approved Zoning Plan Summary: This plan does not change the current middle school or high school track for any elementary school area. It relocates Berry Middle School to the new middle school over a period of one full academic year. The plan includes a new school to be built that will be designed as a middle school but will be used initially as a 9th grade facility for Hoover High School. • During the 2005-06 school year, the current Berry facility will be used for 7th and 8th grades for the current four feeder schools. In other words, Berry’s current 6th and 7th graders would remain at that school for the upcoming school year as 7th and 8th graders. The multi-handicapped units would remain at the current Berry campus for 2005-06. • During the 2005-06 school year, 6th graders from Berry’s four feeder schools (Greystone, Riverchase, Rocky Ridge, and Shades Mountain) will be housed at the middle school on Spain Park campus. • During the 2005-06 school year, the new school will be expanded to accommodate 1200 students. The multi-handicapped area will be prepared for those students. • At the beginning of the 2006-07 school year, students in grades 6-8 from all four feeder schools will be housed at Berry Middle School (new campus). • Under this plan, both schools would be named Berry Middle School. We will refer to them as Berry – 6th Grade and Berry – 7th and 8th Grades. While this might be somewhat confusing, it will last only one year. • Dr. Wheaton will remain principal of Berry Middle School which will be located on two campuses for one year. One of the two assistant principals will be the “on-site” administrator at Berry – 6th Grade until the school is “reunited” in August 2006. • This plan assigns students from the Ross Bridge development to attend Deer Valley Elementary, Simmons Middle School, and Hoover High School. • Construction will begin as soon as possible on a facility on or near the Hoover High School campus. This facility will be used initially to house HHS 9th graders. At the point in the future when a 3rd high school is opened, it will be converted to a middle school. The plan anticipates that this facility will be opened for 9th graders at the beginning of the 2006-07 school year. The projection is that this facility should be designed for approximately 1200 students. Summary: While this is certainly not the “perfect solution,” it is responsive to the “voice of the community” in terms of the desire for students to remain on their current track in regard to middle school and high school attendance zones. It is our belief that the benefits outweigh the costs in fulfilling the wishes of a majority of the parents of our school district. Approved February 28, 2005" It is very important that we understand how we got here. Last night, many comments were made regarding the last Rezoning Process. Many of those were inaccurate statements. Old Berry was not closed to fulfill the wishes of the people on the other side of town. In fact, the Greystone and Rocky Ridge folks didn't have any representatives on the Community Planning Team and were quite upset that they didn't have a "voice" in the group. It is very important to understand why the new Berry campus was built. That was a decision made by Dr. Jack Farr, then Superintendent. The folks at old Berry Middle School were concerned that the facility had too many students. The drive was not pleasant, but they knew what they signed up for when they bought their homes. The people in Greystone and the surrounding areas got organized and made a valid argument that it was time to build that then-fourth middle school (in addition to old Berry, Bumpus and Simmons). I remember being at the HPTC meeting where Dr. Farr said that he wasn't sure who was going to the new Spain Park Middle School (the then-name) but would be letting us know very soon. That was in, like, April of 2004, I believe. The building was already in the process of being built. Everyone just waited to hear the plan. No community input was asked for. When the plan was released, it included moving Green Valley to Berry, along with the Shades Mountain and Riverchase populations. Green Valley didn't want to move high school tracks. Riverchase wanted to go to the new school (their drive to old Berry was pretty awful). Shades Mountain was the only school that really wanted to continue attending old Berry. The community voice was strong. It was listened to. And here we are. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/05/08 at 10:21am A couple of things I left out. Because Riverchase wanted to go to the new middle school, that left only Shades Mountain and Green Valley to go to Berry. That left too small of a middle school population to "field strong sports teams" and band, etc. Shifting Bluff Park and Green Valley to Berry was discussed, but then that meant that the Trace Crossings community would have to shift north to Simmons....taking them out of their "neighborhood school". It was discussed that old Berry could stay open and have Green Valley track back into Hoover while Shades Mountain went on to Spain Park. That didn't meet the community-identified value of keeping kids together as they track from school to school. It was discussed to have Shades Mountain move back into Simmons and Hoover High. But the Shades Mountain parents that were vocal at the time wouldn't stand for that. They absolutely did NOT want to go to Hoover High. They wanted to keep Berry open. Shades Mountain contributes 150 students to a middle school. That simply was not enough students to warrant keeping Berry open. It was discussed to have Shades Mountain and Rocky Ridge continue to go to Berry. But, the demographics didn't work because it was basically segregating the lower-income students into Berry and the higher-income students into the new middle school. Adding Green Valley to that mix wouldn't have changed the demographics, either. Keeping Riverchase zoned to old Berry meant that they were taken out of their "neighborhood school"....which happened to them once already when they were the half of Trace Crossings that got moved to Berry in the first place. ....but the new middle school was deemed closer and more neighborly than old Berry. The only people that Berry was a "neighbor" to that were currently zoned there were the Shades Mountain folks. And they just didn't contribute enough students to warrant keeping Berry open. Had Shades Mountain been as big as say, Deer Valley, that contributes 400 students to middle school, it might be different. But they weren't. So please don't be confused as to why old Berry was closed. It was not, as stated last night, because "the other side of town didn't want to drive to it". It was not, as stated last night, because it was "old". It was closed because the zoning structure that would require it to stay open did not fit with the Community Values that had come forth in the Focus Groups. That's all. I wonder if those same Community Values hold true today. Or are we willing to throw each other under the bus as long as "our children" aren't affected. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by begood on 02/05/08 at 2:27pm HSCIN wrote:
I have a small but important correction to this history. It was not Riverchase that opposed going to the old Berry. That didn't happen until GV threw a tantrum and Dr. Farr assured them they didn't have to get rid of their Buc apparel. After GV was pulled out Gary M. was using inflated numbers to try and justify leaving Riverchase and the others at the school. Once the valid numbers were used it became apparent that there was too few being left there and AT THAT POINT Riverchase lobbied to be zoned to the new school. Riverchase was not opposed (at least not everyone from Riverchase) was opposed to attending old Berry with GV. But once they pulled out Riverchase wasn't going to make the drive (past all of the GV houses that didn't want to go there) and be a 1400 capacity school with 450 kids in it. For what it's worth. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by begood on 02/05/08 at 2:33pm As interest...there is someone on the "other forum" that i think is saying that "most of old Hoover" would rather attend old Berry as their high school! Post 5815.2.2.2 The problem may be solved if that is true!! |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by aka_deplume on 02/05/08 at 3:01pm HSCIN wrote:
So if this is true (and I'm not doubting you) then one of two things happened last night. Either Mr. McBay stood in front of 250 people and lied through his teeth when he said that there was nothing wrong with the facility, that it was because of people not wanting to drive all the way there that the school was closed, or I completely bought into his "sidestep", even though I was within 25 feet of him when he made the statement. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by begood on 02/05/08 at 3:37pm It will be interesting to see what he says at the Berry meeting...I bet it won't be that! I think the new Berry was built partly because of that reason (so maybe that's what he meant). But I think when they built the new Berry they didn't intend on shutting down old Berry. He seems to have lost that in the discussion last night and that's too bad because a room full of people went home thinking that. The old Berry was supposed to stay open with GV moving there - remember? I guess he didn't want to point that out last night to that audience. They didn't want to be there and that's why it had to close when you get down to it. I don't guess any of that matters now. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/05/08 at 4:28pm Well, let's be very careful here who we cast dispersion on, please. The folks from Green Valley were being asked to leave the middle school that some of us (myself included) were so close to that we couldn't even get bus service (the 2-mile rule) to go to a middle school farther away AND then change high school tracks. That's what was on the line for Green Valley. No one else was being asked to sacrifice both the distance to their middle school (Simmons was remaining open as a middle school) AND change their high school tracks. That is very different than what anyone is being asked to do under either scenario presented last night at Simmons. If Simmons was being closed and Green Valley was given a choice to go to Berry or Bumpus, I'm going to guess they would have chosen Berry (old Berry). And let's not forget, too, that once Green Valley's proximity to Simmons was carefully considered, it was Bluff Park who was asked to make the move to Berry. They weren't too happy about that prospect either. The Bluff Park folks rose up in rebellion and made sure they didn't get sent to Spain Park, either, but for some reason that fact is conveniently forgotten. I'm going out on a limb here, deplume, but I would have to say that what Mr. McBay said last night bordered on professional irresponsibility. What he failed to acknowledge was that he was in charge of facilities in 2004 just like he's in charge of them now. He failed to acknowledge that following the process that the Board hired McCauley and Associates to conduct lead them to the conclusion that closing old Berry was the only way to satisfy the Values created through the phone surveys and focus groups. I want to APPLAUD the Green Valley folks for their impressive involvement last time. Do you know what they really did for our community, friends? Those Green Valley people demanded a Seat at the Table. And they got it. Up until that point, when a new school was built, Gary McBay and the others at the Central Office simply drew up a zoning plan and shoved it down the community's throats. Period. The Green Valley people said "that's no way to run a school system" and demanded a Seat at the Table for the community. Were it not for the heat that they applied, we wouldn't have had that meeting last night at Simmons, nor would we be having the two upcoming meetings. The Central Office would just shove a plan down our throats and we'd swallow and do what we were told. I believe that Mr. McBay has a chip on his shoulder because Green Valley was able to give input (and rightfully so!) into a decision and McBay didn't get his way. He seethes every time it's brought up. I can't tell you how many times it has come up in the Capital Planning Committee meetings. And every time he tries to make it out like it was the Green Valley people that threw the monkey wrench into his parade. Last night he found a friendly audience and voiced his personal opinion to the entire community, which was entirely inappropriate. Just my opinion. So thank you, my Green Valley friends, for reserving our Community a Seat at the Table. Without you, our Bluff Park neighbors would probably be attending Spain Park High School right now. Bluff Park folks, you probably owe the Green Valley folks a pat on the back, too. Would anyone prefer that the community not have a Seat at the Table? |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by slab on 02/05/08 at 10:00pm HSCIN wrote:
A question and a little Devil's Advocate here - if Bluff Park had been rezoned to SP at this time would we still be having this current rezoning discussion? SP would be closer or at capacity and HHS would be several hundred students less, maybe even allowing enough room for the Freshmen to attend. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by slab on 02/05/08 at 10:03pm HSCIN wrote:
Why is Mr McBay still employed? Sure seems that he likes to build and supervise the construction of new school buildings......makes you wonder! |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by my2cents on 02/05/08 at 10:27pm HSCIN wrote:
I have a lot of friends that worked very hard in Bluff Park on the rezoning, why do they owe Green Valley? |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by hoover1990 on 02/06/08 at 9:41am HSCIN wrote:
Okay, here I come with my cynical self! A Seat at the Table???? What table? The "Table" is a myth. It implies that there is a fair and open decision-making process where everyone has an equal opportunity to state his case and be heard. Even the Community Planning Team, although a great and idealistic mechanism for decision-making, ultimately failed because those who didn't make it in through the luck of the draw felt that they got the shaft from those who did make it in. And maybe they were correct, but what they then did was work relentlessly to discredit the make-up and work of the group, until the school system was so burned by the whole thing that they would never try it again. Politicians don't like the "table" because it means that the people have a direct voice and everything has to happen openly. The only part of the "table" they like is what goes on under it. It is hard to do all that wheeling and dealing and back-scratching when you have to do it in front of everyone. The Green Valley/Simmons community was successful last time in getting what they wanted. They had a good argument, and they were willing to concede a little (the Freshman Campus). They received support from most of the rest of the city, because the good effects of what they wanted were more widespread and appeared sooner than the bad effects. It also helped them that the Community Planning Team gave the illusion that it was not just one neighborhood getting what they wanted at the expense of others. Things have changed now. The good effects of the last zoning decision have been diluted as the bad effects have come into focus. The Freshman Center is a reality for people now, and some don't like it at all. The overcrowding at Bumpus and Deer Valley can't be ignored much longer. The old Berry School didn't sell and is still sitting there, costing us money. The Shades Mountain community has become vocal since they were the losers last time around. There is not even the illusion of a "table" this time. A "table" is when everyone comes together and works out a solution. These community "input" meetings are just gripe sessions. The affected communities have broken up into their own camps and are trying to figure out how to "win" and throw each other under the bus. I do have to give the Simmons area communities kudos for understanding "How it Really Works". Since the last rezoning crisis, people from the area are now on the school board, in the Central Office, and on the key capital planning committee. Think those things don't make a difference? Watch what happens next. The Bumpus area is still trying to figure out what the heck happened to them in the apartment rezoning three years ago. They haven't even realized how they are about to get dumped on next. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by begood on 02/06/08 at 12:49pm i agree that GV spoke up for what they wanted and "got a seat at the table". But is that what is best for the whole community? Once you let one group decide what is best for them then you have to listen to other areas also and give them a "seat at the table". I agree with most of what HCSIN but not this time. That last comment really exposes a self-serving aspect to your viewpoint and (unusally) not for the good of all people. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:19pm begood wrote:
Let me clarify.....it wasn't just the Green Valley folks that Green Valley got a seat at the table for. It was the ENTIRE COMMUNITY that got a say. Green Valley folks worked to get the Community Planning Process (outlined at this link: http://www.hscin.org/RezoningProcessPresentation.pdf ) in place for the ENTIRE COMMUNITY to participate in. The ENTIRE COMMUNITY was given the opportunity to participate in focus groups to develop the values that the telephone surveys (again....the ENTIRE COMMUNITY had an opportunity to participate, not just Green Valley folks) then rated for importance and put on paper to have the Community Planning Team (again...the ENTIRE COMMUNITY had an opportunity to participate on the Community Planning Team) judge the different scenarios by to see how well they fit with the ENTIRE COMMUNITY'S value judgements about education. So yes, that IS what's best for the ENTIRE COMMUNITY. One group didn't decide. You're skipping steps here, begood. You're reading the parts you want to read. Thanks for the slap in the face. Self-serving. 'Preciate it. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:34pm Birmingham News (AL) Team begins developing ideas for redrawing zones December 22, 2004 Section: COMMUNITY NEWS Edition: HOOVER Page: 3-H JON ANDERSON News staff writer A 20-person community planning team has developed 25 ideas for redrawing school attendance zones for Hoover City Schools. The team of parents, which held its first two meetings last week, hasn't yet come up with specific strategies or recommendations. Instead, it began by developing 25 broad concepts to consider when rezoning. The concepts include ideas such as optimizing transportation costs, accommodating as many students as possible in existing schools, building new schools in areas where growth is occurring and allowing students to stay in a particular school once they start there. The community planning team will reconvene Jan. 4 to determine which of its concepts best match the community values identified by focus groups and prioritized by a survey of Hoover parents. Then, in at least two more meetings, the team will come up with more specific strategies for rezoning. Hoover schools Superintendent Connie Williams said she will consider the planning team's work when making a recommendation to the Hoover Board of Education. The school board must vote on any school zone changes, and its decision is subject to review by the U.S. Department of Justice. Williams told the planning team she has heard the speculation that a rezoning decision already has been made and that the formation of a community planning team is a sham. ''That is simply not true,'' Williams said. ''I simply cannot fathom asking the 20 of you to put in this kind of time and effort for something that's just a sham . . . Let me assure you that I value your input.'' Williams said she truly hasn't made up her mind about the best action plan. She expects to recommend the top choice of the community planning team but reserves the right to disagree, she said. Earl Cooper, a team member with children at Bumpus Middle School and Hoover High, said he appreciates the opportunity to be involved in decision-making. ''The empowerment to make this decision is huge,'' Cooper said. School board member Joe Dean observed the planning team's first meeting and made a few comments when the idea of selling Berry Middle School was discussed. Dean said school officials didn't think selling Berry was wise because the amount of money they would get wouldn't make up for the money invested in renovations at Berry in recent years. At the second meeting, several team members said they didn't want Dean's comments to keep the planning team from considering selling Berry. ''We've got a clean slate as far as I'm concerned,'' said Laura Lowe, a parent at Simmons Middle School. ''This is a clean, fresh start.'' Sammy Harris, a parent at Green Valley Elementary, said he has a hard time believing that being fiscally responsible is the most important concern parents have about rezoning. While that's important, it's not the most important, he said. A survey of 309 Hoover parents indicated differently. The parents were asked to rate 24 community values related to rezoning on a scale of one to seven, with seven being the most important. The value of being fiscally responsible and spending money wisely scored highest, at 6.816. About 90 percent of survey respondents gave the fiscal responsibility value a score of seven. Lynn Thomas, a parent at Bumpus Middle School and Hoover High, said that being fiscally responsible doesn't necessarily mean choosing the cheapest zoning solution. The survey of Hoover parents also indicated that: -- Sixty-four percent of parents would prefer for their child to attend a larger school with more programs and activities than a smaller school close to their home, if they had to choose between the two options. -- Seventy-nine percent chose to live in Hoover because of the quality of schools. -- Fifty-one percent ''definitely'' chose the location of their home specifically so their child could attend a particular school with the Hoover system. -- Fifty-four percent believe the quality of Hoover schools is excellent; 38 percent rated them very good, while 7 percent said good and 1 percent said fair. -- Sixty-five percent said the issue of rezoning is ''very important'' to their family, while 19 percent said it is ''somewhat important,'' 10 percent said ''not very important'' and 7 percent said ''not at all important.'' Zoning concepts A community planning team made up of Hoover parents developed this list of ideas to be considered as school officials redraw school attendance zones. The planning team will further evaluate each concept to see how well it meets community values identified by focus groups and a survey of parents. More specific zoning strategies will be developed in January. Optimize transportation costs. Optimize use of existing facilities. Build new facilities where growth is occurring. If possible, allow students to remain at particular schools once they have started there. Implement zoning changes at transitions from elementary to middle school or middle to high school. Zoning plan must fit into school system's budget, considering costs such as construction and operations. Meet current Hoover standards for student-teacher ratios. Open new schools with adequate number of students to provide as many programs (academic and extracurricular) as possible and make them cost-effective to operate. Maximize construction dollars for instructional benefit. Design facilities so they can be expanded to accommodate growth. Build schools close to communities, centrally located (especially at elementary level). Consider the impact of traffic when locating schools. Create a zoning plan with a long-range vision and update it at regular intervals. Develop a model school (size, curriculum, etc.) to guide future facility decisions. Offer the same variety of classes at all schools. Do zoning changes in a manner that encourages continued financial support from the community. Provide academic/instructional support services at every school to meet the needs of all students. Use a cost/benefit approach to decisions about renovation and replacement of existing facilities. Establish a minimum radius from a school within which students will be assured of being zoned to that school. Consider a maximum travel time from home to school (relative to grade level). Locate schools where they can be reached via secondary roads. Avoid splitting a school to multiple uppergrade schools (students from one elementary being split between two middle schools). Have similar racial diversity at all schools. Have similar economic diversity at all schools. When possible, maintain a balance of students from single-family homes and multifamily homes at each school. Source: Hoover City Schools' Community Planning Team |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:37pm Birmingham News (AL) Survey: Hoover parents want fiscally responsible schools December 14, 2004 Section: COMMUNITY Page: 3-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover parents say the most important thing for school officials to consider when redrawing middle and high school zone lines is their charge to be fiscally responsible. That's according to a telephone survey of 309 parents who have children in Hoover City Schools. The survey results were presented to the Hoover Board of Education Monday night. The school system commissioned the survey as part of its effort to involve the community in redrawing school zones, which must be done in time for the scheduled opening of Spain Park Middle School in August. Parents who participated in the survey were asked to rank 24 community values related to rezoning on a scale of 1 to 7, with seven being the most important. All the values were determined by focus groups of parents prior to the telephone survey. The value of being fiscally responsible and spending money wisely scored highest, at 6.816. Other values in the top five were: making it easy for parents to be involved in their child's school (6.744), making zoning changes as infrequently as possible (6.709), ensuring that all schools offer the same variety of quality classes (6.670) and ensuring continued strong financial support by the community (6.670). About 90 percent of survey respondents gave the fiscal responsibility value a score of 7, said Tim Aho, a planning consultant hired by the school board to assist with the process. ''That's a little bit of a surprise, because the focus groups didn't really harp on that,'' Aho said. Hoover schools Superintendent Connie Williams said she was surprised that parents ranked the value of keeping groups of students and friends together from kindergarten through 12th grade relatively low. It was the fifth lowest of the 24 community values, with a score of 5.683. Other values in the bottom five were: ensuring economic diversity in all schools (5.675), ensuring that all schools are large enough to field strong sports teams (5.220), giving all schools a balance between students from apartments and students from single-family homes (5.172) and preserving school traditions, such as colors and team names (5.071). A 20-person community planning team will start meeting tonight to develop rezoning strategies that meet the most important community values. The team is supposed to finish its work in time for Williams to make a recommendation to the school board by late January or early February. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:38pm Birmingham News (AL) Hoover schools draw 20 names for planning team on rezoning Hoover schools pick team for rezoning effort December 2, 2004 Section: COMMUNITY NEWS Page: 3-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover school officials on Wednesday drew the names of 20 parents who will serve on a community planning team that will develop ideas for redrawing school attendance zones. The names were drawn from among 74 parents nominated by the school board, mayor and City Council, Hoover Chamber of Commerce, parent groups and the community. The team is charged with developing scenarios for drawing new school zones for Hoover's middle and high schools - a hot topic in Hoover this year. Parents on the team have children at six of the nine elementary schools in Hoover, all three middle schools and both high schools. The only schools without parents on the team are Greystone, Rocky Ridge and Trace Crossings elementaries. Each school's parent group was able to nominate someone, but not all of them were drawn from the pool of 74 nominees. Parents from all Hoover schools are being included in a telephone survey that will determine the importance of various community values related to rezoning. Three focus groups of Hoover parents helped compile a list of 24 values associated with rezoning that are important to parents, such as having schools close to home and keeping academic quality high and studentteacher ratios low. The telephone survey will prioritize those values, and the planning team will evaluate its ideas based on those priorities. Thirty-five parents were nominated by the community at large. The school board nominated 10 parents, and the mayor and City Council together nominated 10. Parent groups nominated 15 people, and the Hoover Chamber of Commerce nominated four. The school board was guaranteed two slots on the team, as were the mayor and City Council. The chamber was guaranteed one slot, and parent groups were guaranteed three positions. Two slots were designated for the community at large. The final 10 names were drawn from a combined pool of nominees. Here are names of team members and the groups that nominated them: City Council nominees: Earl Cooper, Rhonda Diliberto, Kathy Hutcheson, Laura Lowe and Jill Wootten. School board nominees: Keith Clowers, Jennifer Fuller and Shiela Mulkey. Chamber of Commerce nominee: Lynn Thomas. Parent group nominees: Green Valley Elementary parent yet to be named, Cindy Wood (Gwin Elementary), Don Monk (Shades Mountain Elementary), Peggy Powell (South Shades Crest Elementary), Terri Lynn Hosmer (Bumpus Middle) and Lisa Weaver (Simmons Middle). Community nominees: Jack Brymer, Sandra Hassett, Afif Kanafani, Debbie Smith and Jill Stalnaker. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:40pm Birmingham News (AL) Hoover schools will pick team to study zones November 26, 2004 Section: LOCAL NEWS Page: 1-C JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover school officials will draw names Wednesday to form a community planning team that will develop and analyze options for redrawing school zone lines. Nominations to serve on the team will be accepted until noon Wednesday, and members of the team will be selected in a drawing set for 4 p.m. the same day, Superintendent Connie Williams said. The public is welcome to attend. Various groups in the community, such as the school board, mayor and City Council, Hoover Chamber of Commerce and parent organizations, have opportunities to nominate people. Nominations also are welcome from the community at large, but nominees must be willing to attend at least five meetings on specific dates in December and January, likely for two to three hours at a time in the evening. Meeting dates already scheduled are Dec. 14 and 16 and Jan. 4, 11 and 18. People may nominate themselves or others. Nomination forms can be obtained from the Farr Administration Building at 2810 Metropolitan Way in Hoover or can be downloaded from the school system's Web site at www.hoover.k12.al.us. The community planning team will have 20 members. The community planning team's job is to develop school rezoning scenarios and test them to see how well they meet community values pertinent to rezoning as established by focus groups and prioritized by a telephone poll of Hoover parents. Williams will use the planning team's work to develop her own rezoning recommendation for the school board to consider. The school board has the final say, subject to approval by the U.S. Department of Justice. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:42pm Birmingham News (AL) Parents offer input on key issues for schools November 17, 2004 Section: COMMUNITY NEWS Edition: HOOVER Page: 4-H JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover parents want their children to go to school close to home and they want academic quality high and student-teacher ratios low. Those were some of the most common desires stated to school officials last week by 20 Hoover parents selected randomly to participate in focus groups for the city school system. School officials are using the groups, divided into elementary, middle and high school parents, as part of a process to determine and rank community values regarding schools as the system prepares to redraw middle and high school attendance zones. Other community values mentioned during the focus group meetings included: maintaining equity among schools in extra-curricular activities, keeping students together from elementary through high school, and respecting parents' investments in their homes and particular school communities. Parents also said they want school officials to keep in mind such things as test scores, racial and economic diversity, travel safety, parents' school loyalties, school size, aging school buildings, children's social ties, future city growth, parental choice and U.S. Department of Justice guidelines. They also wanted advance notice of school zone changes so they have time to move if they desire. New South Research, which conducted the focus group interviews, now will take the list of community values stated by the parents and survey 300 other Hoover school parents by telephone to prioritize those values. The marketing research firm will ask parents to rank the importance of each value, said Tim Aho, a consultant hired to assist in the rezoning process. Once the values are prioritized, a 20-person community planning team will develop rezoning concepts and scenarios, and test each scenario to see how well it meets the most important community values. Schools Superintendent Connie Williams will use the planning team's work to develop her own rezoning recommendation for the school board to consider. The school board will have the final say, subject to approval by the U.S. Department of Justice. Williams observed the three focus groups last week and said she wasn't surprised by the parents' feelings. ''While there were a lot of differences, I think there was an amazing amount of consistency in terms of the things people said were important,'' she said. One new thing she heard was a willingness by some parents to pay more property taxes if it meant their children could somehow stay in their current school zone. Williams said Hoover schools are secure financially and should be able to afford the buildings they need. ''But we want to keep it that way,'' she said. ''I don't want us to go out and add indebtedness and cause that to change.'' There are still financial challenges, such as finding money to operate and staff schools once they're built, she said. She said she's concerned about the financial condition for the City of Hoover, which gives 16 percent of its sales tax revenue to the school board for operating expenses. City officials are projecting a slowdown in sales tax growth and deficit spending by 2006. Parents in the focus groups were passionate about the schools their children attend, often saying that was the most important reason they chose to live where they did. One Greystone Elementary mother said her family moved this past summer to keep her children from being rezoned to Rocky Ridge Elementary. She was concerned about lower standardized test scores at Rocky Ridge, she said. ''You've got one chance to educate your kids,'' she said. One woman who lives in an apartment said her family would stay in the apartment until middle and high school zone lines are redrawn. Her family doesn't want to make an investment in a home until lines are set, she said. Rezoning opposition Numerous parents said they believed that once people make an investment in a home and community, they shouldn't be rezoned at all. ''He has a plan for his family, and he doesn't want a school board to change it,'' one Green Valley Elementary and Simmons Middle School father commented about another father. ''Don't jerk that out from under him.'' The three focus groups included parents from all but four Hoover schools, although New South Research attempted to get representation from throughout the community. Forty-one people agreed to attend the meetings, but only 20 showed up. Eighteen were white, and two were black. Twelve were female, and eight were male. Some had lived in Hoover more than 30 years, while others had been in the city for just a few months. A few lived in an apartment, but most were homeowners. Most had a college degree. Two were former school board applicants, one of whom ran unsuccessfully for a council seat this summer. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:43pm Birmingham News (AL) School board seeks panel to help redraw its districts School board seeks panel to redraw districts November 10, 2004 Section: COMMUNITY NEWS Edition: HOOVER Page: 5-H JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover's school board is inviting the public to nominate people for a planning team that will help school leaders redraw middle and high school attendance zones. Anyone nominated to serve on the community planning team must be a Hoover resident who is the parent of a child currently enrolled in Hoover City Schools. Nominees also must be willing and able to meet at least five times on specific dates in December and January, likely for two to three hours at a time in the evening, Superintendent Connie Williams said. Dates already scheduled for the meetings are Dec. 14 and 16 and Jan. 4, 11 and 18. People may nominate themselves or others. Nomination forms can be obtained from the Farr Administration Building at 2810 Metropolitan Way in Hoover. School officials said they hope soon to have a nomination form available for people to download from the school system's Web site. The site is www.hoover.k12.al.us. All nominations must be returned to the Farr Administration Building by noon Dec. 1. All nominations from the community at large will be put into a pool, and 10 of those names will be drawn randomly. Those nominees will be combined with up to 40 others chosen by designated groups. The Hoover Board of Education can nominate 10 people, as can the mayor and City Council together. The 15 parent organizations representing Hoover schools each can nominate one person, and the Hoover Chamber of Commerce can nominate five. Two names will be drawn randomly from the school board nominees, two from the mayor and council nominees and two from the community-at-large nominees. Three names will be drawn from the parent organization nominees and one from the Chamber of Commerce nominees. That amounts to half of the 20-member team and guarantees that each group has representatives. Names of all remaining nominees from the pool of 50 will be put together and 10 more will be selected randomly. The planning team will be responsible for developing rezoning scenarios and testing them to see how well they meet community values for rezoning as established by focus groups and prioritized by a telephone poll of Hoover parents. The team will not be allowed to alter those values or their ranking of importance, Williams said. A mathematical formula will be used to test each scenario, and a preferred rezoning scenario should emerge, said Tim Aho, a planning consultant hired by the school board. The team will have access to school system data as requested, such as school enrollment, building capacities and city growth projections. Williams will use the planning team's work to develop her own rezoning recommendation for the school board to consider. ''It may or may not be the one that the community planning team comes up with,'' Williams said. She hopes, however, that will be the case, she said. The school board will have the final say, subject to approval by the U.S. Department of Justice. Williams said she hopes to have a rezoning recommendation ready for the board to consider by January or February. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:45pm Birmingham News (AL) Board OKs planning team selection November 2, 2004 Section: COMMUNITY Edition: Editorial Page Page: 3-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer HOOVER The Hoover school board on Monday agreed on a process to pick a community planning team that will help devise ways to redraw middle and high school attendance zones. Selection of the 20-member team was a sticking point because some people have expressed concern that some faction in the community might try to control the contentious rezoning process. The school board decided to seek 40 nominations from various groups in Hoover and allow the community at large to nominate team members as well. However, every nominee must be a parent of children in Hoover schools. School board members agreed on a process that will guarantee certain groups representation on the committee, including the mayor and City Council, parent organizations, the Hoover Chamber of Commerce and the school board itself. School board member Tom Defnall said guaranteed representation was important. ''This is a huge decision for our city and our children,'' Defnall said. The school board will nominate 10 people, and the mayor and City Council together can nominate 10 more. The Hoover Chamber of Commerce can nominate five people, and each of Hoover's 15 parent organizations can nominate one person. Ten names will be chosen from among the community-at-large nominations by a random drawing, creating a total pool of 50 nominees. From that group, two names will be drawn randomly from the school board nominees, two names from the mayor and council nominees and two names from the community-at-large nominees. Three names will be drawn from the parent organization nominees and one name from the Chamber of Commerce nominees. That amounts to half of the 20-member team. Names of all the remaining nominees will be put in a combined pool, and 10 will be selected randomly. The planning team will be responsible for developing rezoning scenarios and testing them to see how well they meet community values established by focus groups and prioritized by a telephone poll of Hoover parents. A mathematical formula will be used to test each scenario, and a preferred zoning scenario should emerge, said Tim Aho, a planning consultant hired by the school board. The whole process should take two-and-a-half to three months, Aho said. School board Vice President Bill Veitch said the process may be a good thing, but it may not. It does him no more good than the many public meetings the board held this past spring to discuss rezoning, he said. ''I'm not going to give up my responsibility as a school board member,'' Veitch said, noting the final rezoning decision rests with the board. School board President Kay Witt said the board isn't abdicating its responsibility. Superintendent Connie Williams will use the committee's findings to make a recommendation to the board, and the board will vote on it, Witt said. School board member Joe Dean said this process allows for more organized participation, which the community requested. Aho said he would set deadlines for nominations this week and post them on the school system's Web site: www.hoover.k12.al.us. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:46pm Birmingham News (AL) School board sets meeting on attendance zone planning team October 29, 2004 Section: COMMUNITY Page: 3-C JON ANDERSON News staff writer The Hoover Board of Education has called a special meeting for 7 a.m. Monday to discuss the makeup of a community planning team that will develop options for redrawing middle and high school attendance zones. Board member Bill Veitch has questioned how the community planning team will be selected, saying he was concerned with who would be developing the rezoning scenarios. Tim Aho, the consultant hired by the school board to guide the community planning process, has offered two options for determining the makeup of the planning team. One option is to have New South Research randomly recruit parents by telephone but in a way to ensure a group that matches the demographics of Hoover school parents. A second option is to have various groups, such as school officials, the mayor and City Council, parentteacher organizations and the Hoover Chamber of Commerce, nominate people and then draw 20 of those names out of a hat. All team members would have to be parents of Hoover students. Aho said the first option probably is the most impartial, but the team may have more credibility with the public if it contains some known skeptics of the rezoning process who are nominated by the various groups. The second option also may be more effective at building community consensus, Aho said. His company, McCauley Associates, has successfully used both options, however, and is comfortable with either one, he said. School board member Joe Dean said he favors the second option. Other school board members said they think the community planning team may need to have representatives from each school. Further discussion is slated for Monday morning. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:48pm Birmingham News (AL) SCHOOL BOARD LEARNED LESSON FROM ZONE FLAP October 13, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H Peggy Sanford Hoover school officials apparently took to heart the painful lesson they endured this spring as the school system undertook to redraw attendance zone lines for elementary schools. This time around, as the system prepares to redraw zone lines for its middle and high school students, officials are stepping out with a systematic plan for formulating the changes. Kudos for not wanting to make the same mistake twice. The Hoover Board of Education in April adopted a plan to rezone about 1,500 of the city's 5,100 elementary students. Unfortunately, weeks of anger, confusion and distrust on behalf of many parents preceded the vote. School officials had put forth a rezoning proposal before holding or scheduling any public hearings to gauge the concerns and desires of families who would be affected. The fallout was loud and long. Parents made themselves heard, but for the most part, the dialogue pivoted on fear and accusation from parents and retreat and reassurance by the school board. Monday, the school board set out to do things differently in redrawing middle and high school attendance lines. The board held a special meeting and adopted a process that would involve community focus groups, a professional telephone survey and a community planning team - all at the outset of the rezoning work. Superintendent Connie Williams will have the outcome of the planning process to use as a basis for the rezoning plan she and her staff will formulate and present to the school board. School officials have said they hope to have a rezoning decision by January or February. The planning process intends to use three focus groups to come up with a list of community values related to school zoning, then survey 200 residents by phone to rank those values. A community planning team, representing a crosssection of Hoover, then would use that information to develop zoning concepts and scenarios. A mathematical formula would be applied to test each scenario and see how it stacks up to the highest-ranked community values. It sounds fairly academic, but a dispassionate, fact-finding community assessment is the way to go at the beginning of a process that will result in changing the schools some students attend. Residents and parents don't need to be the ones who redraw school attendance zones, but their concerns and expectations must be honestly and seriously considered in the formulation. It appears the school board has taken note. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:49pm Birmingham News (AL) THE DIGEST October 11, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-B Hoover board vote set about zones The Hoover Board of Education has called a special meeting for 5 p.m. today to vote on a process to help the school system redraw middle and high school attendance zones. The process, which would involve focus groups, a professional telephone survey and a community planning team, was explained in a public meeting Tuesday. If approved, it would take an estimated 21/2 months to complete. Superintendent Connie Williams said she hopes to develop a rezoning recommendation for the school board to consider by late January or February. Today's meeting will be held in the school system's central office, now called the Farr Administration Building, at 2810 Metropolitan Way in Hoover. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:50pm Birmingham News (AL) HOOVER PONDERS NEW SCHOOL REZONING TACK October 6, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-C JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover school officials dove into the complex and controversial issue of redrawing middle and high school attendance zones Tuesday night with a proposal to restart the planning process from scratch. About 100 people, including Hoover's newly elected mayor and City Council, showed up at Spain Park High School to hear details. Numerous rezoning options were studied this past spring, but new Superintendent Connie Williams now is considering a new and more systematic approach. Tim Aho, a school planning consultant and parent at Hoover's Green Valley Elementary School, outlined a plan that throws out notions about what the community wants from its school system. His proposal is to use three focus groups of elementary, middle and high school parents to come up with a list of community values related to school zone lines and then survey 200 Hoover residents by telephone to prioritize those values. A community planning team, representing a cross-section of Hoover, then would use that information to develop zoning concepts and scenarios. A mathematical formula would be used to test each scenario to see how well it meets the most important community values, and thus a preferred zoning scenario would emerge, Aho said. The superintendent would use the outcome of the planning process as a basis for her rezoning recommendation to the school board, he said. The whole process should take about 21/2 months, which meets school officials' desire to have a rezoning decision by late January or February. Some parents and city leaders, including new Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos, who attended Tuesday's meeting with the entire newly elected City Council, said the proposed process is a systematic one that should work well for Hoover. However, Petelos agreed with Councilman Jack Wright that school officials need to better specify from the start the need for rezoning and options that can be considered. Williams said school zone lines have to be redrawn to ac commodate the planned opening of a middle school at Spain Park in August 2005. However, this process also needs to address the need for future schools due to expected crowding at Hoover High and Bumpus Middle School, Williams said. New Council President Gary Ivey said focus groups need to be informed about possible zoning scenarios and other relevant information before they get started rather than beginning with a blank sheet of paper. Some parents questioned whether 200 people in a telephone survey are enough to represent 65,000 Hoover residents. Aho said the sample size meets industry standards. Williams said she hopes the school board will decide this week whether to proceed with this process. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:51pm Birmingham News (AL) OFFICIALS PREPARE TO REDRAW MIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOL ZONES September 30, 2004 Section: News Page: 2-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover school officials are gearing up for a second round of rezoning talks, this time focused on middle and high school attendance zones. School leaders say they want to be organized and avoid a repeat of the parental anger and hostility that erupted in the spring over a proposal to redraw every school zone in the Hoover system. The plan later was scaled back to include only elementary zones. School officials have scheduled a public meeting Tuesday to inform parents, the mayor, City Council and other interested parties about the process they plan to use to develop a middle and high school rezoning plan. Hoover schools Superintendent Connie Williams said she wants to use a planning process recommended by Tim Aho, a parent at Hoover's Green Valley Elementary School and the executive vice president of McCauley Associates architectural, planning, interior design and engineering firm. That firm has 78 years' experience working with public school boards on issues related to facilities and zoning. Williams said the planning process that Aho helped develop is not designed to determine a conclusion, but rather to help her develop a rezoning recommendation for the school board to consider. She hopes a decision on redrawing middle and high school attendance zones can be made by January. The planning process would include representatives from various groups that have a stake in the school system, such as parents, students, teachers, administrators and business and community leaders. The process helps identify what values are important to residents, such as living close to their children's school and having their children stay with the same group of students from elementary through high school, Williams said. The process also helps quantify the importance of those values, she said. "It's a very organized and systematic way to gather information and organize that information and make sense of it," Williams said. The process would include focus groups, telephone surveys and planning teams. School board member Joe Dean, who led the board through emotional rezoning hearings in the spring, said this process should produce results that aren't based heavily on emotions. "It's database decision-making, is what it boils down to, and that's always better," Dean said. He emphasized there won't be a series of open-forum meetings where people get to say whatever is on their minds. Instead, the process will be structured, yet representative of all parties, he said. The elementary rezoning approved in April moved about 1,500 students, including about 1,000 from apartments, to different schools in August. School officials have to redraw middle and high school zones to accommodate the planned opening of Spain Park Middle School in August 2005. Public meeting What: Meeting to provide information on developing a middle and high school rezoning plan Where: Spain Park High School When: 6 p.m. Tuesday |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:55pm Birmingham News (AL) WITT DEFENDS BOARD'S DECISION TO REDRAW ATTENDANCE ZONES August 11, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 10-H JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover school board President Kay Witt last week defended school board members and elected city officials from what she called "flaming arrows" being fired by political candidates. Witt read a two-page statement during a special called school board meeting Thursday, defending the integrity of school board members and their decision to redraw elementary school zone lines and plans to redraw secondary school zone lines. Witt said several politicians in Hoover's municipal elections are using issues involving the school system as an attempt to gain votes. They've faulted current elected officials for not controlling the school board, accused school board members of not listening to parents and called the rezoning effort a "fiasco," Witt said. Witt said the school board has made a concerted, conscientious effort not to be involved in the political arena. "However, when flaming arrows are fired into our houses, or in this case, our mailboxes, we are forced to remove and extinguish those arrows," she said. While the Hoover City Council appoints school board members, "the school board is not a political entity," Witt said. "To the current mayor and City Council's great credit, they have not attempted to control this school board." School board members do value their opinions, "but we do not make decisions based on popular vote," Witt said. "Anyone who tries to control the school board to gain political favor is misusing his or her power." The redrawing of elementary school zone lines for the school year that begins today is not a fiasco, Witt said. The rezoning affected about 1,455 of Hoover's 5,100 elementary students, records show. Of those, about 390 were fourth and fifth-graders who were given the option to remain in the school they attended last year. About 100 students took advantage of that option, records show. "It is unfortunate that some students have to leave schools they love, and that made the rezoning plan an agonizing decision for school board members," Witt said. However, the school board did listen to parents before making their decision, she said. School board members received e-mails, phone calls and comments from as many voters who were in favor of the rezoning plan as they did from those who opposed it, Witt said. "We do not base our decisions on popular vote, but on what we believe, after careful study and deliberation, to be best for the children of Hoover," she said. The rezoning plan approved by the school board in April was designed to bring many students closer to their schools and accommodate population shifts, growth and changes in Hoover's geography over the past 15 years. One of the more controversial aspects was the rezoning of about 1,000 of the 1,300 Hoover elementary students who live in apartments. School officials said the apartment rezoning was needed, in many cases, to get students closer to their school, but also to redistribute apartment students more evenly among schools to reduce high student turnover in certain schools. Witt said the changes will benefit all elementary school students. Teachers will have fewer students in each classroom who are new to Hoover schools and thus need extra time and attention, she said. With a new middle school slated to open in August 2005, secondary school zone lines will need to be redrawn, Witt said. Again, school board members have listened to parents and explored every suggestion, she said. "There is no way to please every person in this situation because somebody has to attend all three of these middle schools," Witt said. She said she understands that 30 percent of the land in Hoover is undeveloped. "History leads me to believe that this land will be developed due to economic factors and public demand for housing regardless of who we elect as future mayors and City Council members." Witt said. "I agree that this growth needs to be well-planned, but this growth will necessitate the need for additional schools and the need for future rezoning plans." |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 4:57pm Birmingham News (AL) PARENTS ASK BOARD NOT TO CLOSE BERRY SCHOOL June 25, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-C JON ANDERSON News staff writer Parents from Shades Mountain Elementary on Thursday night asked the Hoover school board not to close Berry Middle School as part of a school rezoning effort that's under way. Interim Superintendent Connie Williams told the 60 or so people at the public hearing that the prospect of clos ing Berry is becoming less likely in her mind, but it's still under consideration. Hoover school officials are trying to find the best way to redraw middle and high school attendance zones to accommodate future growth and the opening of a new middle school at Spain Park off Valleydale Road. Williams stressed that school officials are not talking about rezoning middle and high school students for the 2004-05 school year. Also, once students have started at a particular middle or high school, they will be allowed to finish at that school, she said. School officials hope to open Spain Park Middle School in August 2005, but problems finding a general construction contractor and tight demand for steel have made them question that timeline. They should know more by Monday after more talks with contractors, said Gary McBay, who oversees construction for Hoover schools. The school board still must decide what elementary schools will feed into Spain Park, and whether there will be enough students at Berry to keep it open. The primary problem with Berry is its location on the edge of the city, school officials say. Shades Mountain PTA President Robin Harrison said parents there aren't convinced that Berry needs to close. Shades Mountain students now feed into Berry, as do students from Greystone, Rocky Ridge and the Riverchase communities. Greystone, Rocky Ridge and Riverchase parents have said they want to go to the new Spain Park Middle School, but school officials say that would leave Berry with too few students. School officials aren't even sure if Berry would have enough students if both Shades Mountain and Riverchase children continued feeding into Berry. Harrison said she thinks it's OK to leave room for growth. Tammy Cocke, another Shades Mountain parent, said she doesn't understand how the school board can even consider closing Berry when Bumpus Middle School could soon be overcrowded. "We need the building. It doesn't matter if it's out of the way to some," Cocke said. School board member Joe Dean said it's important to remember that another middle school could be built next to Hoover High. Williams said other parents wanted school officials to consider closing Berry, but she and school board members said they're not giving any more weight to that option than others. Williams said a rezoning decision could be made within two to three months after school reopens if Spain Park's opening date remains the same. A delay in opening Spain Park could further delay a decision, she said. Dean said "we know that there's not a way to solve this that is going to be satisfactory to everyone." |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:01pm Birmingham News (AL) HOOVER BOARD TO HOLD HEARING ON SCHOOL ZONING June 22, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 3-B Jon Anderson The Hoover Board of Education will hold a public hearing Thursday to discuss middle and high school rezoning, including the possible closing of Berry Middle School. School officials already have received approval from the U.S. Department of Justice for a controversial elementary school rezoning plan, but they're still trying to decide how to best redraw middle and high school zone lines. Lines need to be redrawn to accommodate the scheduled opening of Spain Park Middle School in August 2005. School officials, however, also are keeping in mind anticipated growth in the school system. Thursday's hearing will be held immediately following the school board's regular work session, which begins at 4:30 p.m. Interim Superintendent Connie Williams said she expects the public hearing to begin about 5 p.m. and end by 7 p.m. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:02pm Birmingham News (AL) HOOVER SCHOOLS GET UNOFFICIAL OK DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WILL APPROVE CONTROVERSIAL ELEMENTARY REZONING PLAN June 10, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 3-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer The Hoover school system has received unofficial approval from the U.S. Department of Justice for the controversial elementary school rezoning plan the school board passed in April, interim Superintendent Connie Williams said Tuesday. "We have not seen the official documentation, but we have gotten the word to expect that," Williams said. A few more people need to sign off on the rezoning plan, but it seems the plan has been approved "unless something happens that doesn't ever happen," she said. The rezoning plan moves about 1,500 of Hoover's 5,100 elementary students to different schools in August, school officials have said. The plan was designed to bring many students closer to their schools and accommodate population shifts, growth and changes in Hoover's geography in the past 15 years. Sparked debate It sparked several months of contentious debate and was amended to address parental concerns. It rezones about 1,000 of the 1,300 Hoover students who live in apartments, shifting students in 25 of about 40 Hoover apartment complexes, school officials said. "This was really big," Williams said of the Justice Department approval. "I was very relieved to get that news." School officials weren't sure what they were going to do if the Justice Department rejected the plan, Williams said, because the new school year starts in two months with the addition of Riverchase Elementary to the system. Williams said she wasn't surprised, however, with the Justice Department decision because she felt the school system had met rezoning requirements. The Justice Department needed to be confident that Hoover wasn't redrawing school zone lines to include or exclude students based on race, she said. The Hoover school board still is discussing how to redraw attendance zones for middle and high schools to accommodate the opening of Spain Park Middle School in August 2005 and future growth. One option being considered includes closing Berry Middle School. The board has set a public hearing to discuss middle and high school rezoning, including the possible closure of Berry, immediately following its regular June 24 work session, which begins at 4:30. The public hearing is expected to begin about 5 p.m. and should end by 7 p.m., Williams said. The school board also has set a special meeting Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. to consider personnel changes and approve a bid for the general trades construction package for Spain Park Middle School. The board's regular monthly meeting is scheduled June 28 at 5 p.m. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:04pm Birmingham News (AL) SCHOOL BOARD STARTS EARLY PLANNING FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL May 26, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H JON ANDERSON News staff writer The Hoover school board last week voted to begin preliminary work for the "possible construction" of a new school next to Hoover High and Trace Crossings Elementary. The school would be designed as a middle school but would be used temporarily to house Hoover High ninth-graders until Hoover's third high school opens, Acting Superintendent Connie Williams said. This doesn't mean school officials have definitely decided to build the middle school building, Williams said. "It simply gets the ball rolling so that if that is decided, it may be possible to do it in time to open in the fall of 2006," Williams said. If they wait to get started, it could delay opening the school for another year, she said. Time is of the essence because school officials have said they expect Hoover High to be overcrowded in a few years unless something is done to relieve it. Hoover High already has more than 2,000 students. It can hold about 2,200 without portable classrooms, school officials say. School officials now will begin securing a topographical survey of the land next to Hoover High and do a site design that would include clearing, grading and installation of utilities, Williams said. The best chance to open a new school there in August 2006 would involve using the same middle school design being used for Spain Park Middle School, with some minor modifications for programming purposes, she said. Williams has not made a recommendation to the school board concerning redrawing attendance zones for middle and high schools. School board member Joe Dean said there needs to be more discussion regarding potential uses for Berry Middle School if it is closed before a rezoning decision is made. In other business last week, the school board: Agreed to pay $94,684 to Giffen Recreation for playground equipment for the new Riverchase Elementary School. Approved three-year contracts for Linda Campanotta and Sonia Carrington, the principals at Green Valley and Rocky Ridge elementary schools, respectively. The two principals have completed their probationary periods, Williams said. Declared nine school buses in the spare bus fleet as surplus. The buses now are used on a limited basis or not at all, Assistant Superintendent Andy Craig said in a memo to Williams. They will be sold to make room for new buses that will be delivered this summer, allowing 1994 models to be transferred into the spare fleet, Craig said. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:07pm Birmingham News (AL) CLOSING OF BERRY MIDDLE DISCUSSED May 11, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 3-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover school officials on Monday focused rezoning discussion on the possibility of closing Berry Middle School. At a work session, school board members and administrators spent much of their time talking about whether closing Berry could help solve rezoning dilemmas. Acting Superintendent Connie Williams has not made a recommendation to the school board, but the primary rezoning option discussed favorably Monday would: Open Spain Park Middle School in August 2005 with students from Greystone, Rocky Ridge and Riverchase elementaries. Keep Green Valley Elementary students in the Simmons Middle zone and Hoover High zone. Reroute Shades Mountain Elementary students and students from the Ross Bridge community from Berry to Simmons. Sell Berry and or keep it for other educational uses. Immediately begin the construction process for a new school next to Hoover High that could be used as a ninth-grade building initially and later as Hoover's fourth middle school. Board member Bill Veitch said this scenario seems to use the most common sense and pleases parents upset over other rezoning options. Riverchase parents said they want their children to move from Berry to Spain Park Middle School because it's easier access and right by Spain Park High. School officials are considering moving Green Valley students to Berry to keep Berry's population up, but Green Valley parents strongly oppose it. Williams said Berry is in a poor location on the outer edge of the city, but past efforts to sell the building have failed. School officials have asked a private firm to evaluate the prospects of selling the site to a developer for garden homes, town houses or apartments. Other possibilities are using Berry as an alternative school, magnet school, fine arts facility, community school, International Baccalaureate site or teacher training site. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:08pm Birmingham News (AL) MIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOL REZONING DEBATE CONTINUES May 5, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer The debate over school rezoning in Hoover continued Tuesday night as parents pleaded with the Hoover school board to consider various zoning options for middle and high schools. The school board last month adopted a controversial rezoning plan for elementary schools but postponed a decision for middle and high schools. In Tuesday's special work session, board members, about 75 parents and school staff explored the merits of eight rezoning scenarios. They included everything from opening a new Spain Park Middle School with two or three elementary feeder schools to closing Berry Middle School because of its location on the edge of the city's border with Vestavia Hills. However, board members didn't reach any consensus. Acting Superintendent Connie Williams first must make a recommendation to the school board, and Williams said Tuesday night she wasn't sure when that would come. Spain Park Middle School is to open in August 2005, and Williams said parents want as much notice as possible concerning which elementary school students will go there. Plus, whatever rezoning decision is made by the board must be sent to the U.S. Department of Justice for approval, she said. School officials don't want to wait too long, she said. Tuesday's debate focused on which elementary school students should go to Spain Park Middle. Original plans called for Greystone and Rocky Ridge elementary students to go to Spain Park, but Williams and Gary McBay, who is overseeing the rezoning process, said they're concerned that would leave Berry Middle School with too few students. One option that would boost Berry's population would be to rezone Green Valley Elementary students from Simmons Middle to Berry and from Hoover High to Spain Park High. Green Valley parents voiced strong opposition to that plan Tuesday night. Berry and Spain Park High are farther away, and Green Valley students are too intertwined with students headed for Simmons and Hoover High to separate them, parent Ann Molony said. "Sometimes what makes sense on paper is not the right thing to do," Molony said. Complicating matters is the fact that some parents in Riverchase said Tuesday they want students from the new Riverchase Elementary to go to Spain Park Middle rather than Berry. Berry is too far from a traffic standpoint and will leave some parents traveling in a giant triangle to pick up children at Berry and older siblings at Spain Park High, parents said. Williams said school officials would consider closing Berry if someone were interested in buying the school for the right price. However, previous and recent attempts to find an interested buyer have failed, she said. School board member Robert Bumpus, a former Hoover schools superintendent, said he doesn't see closing Berry as an option. A middle school with 400 students can work, he said. The school board will meet again Monday from 5 to 9 p.m. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:11pm Birmingham News (AL) GREEN VALLEY PARENTS PLEAD WITH BOARD NOT TO REZONE April 28, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 3-H JON ANDERSON News staff writer A group of parents in the Green Valley Elementary school zone pleaded with the Hoover school board last week not to rezone their children to Berry Middle School and Spain Park High. Hoover school officials are reviewing various options for redrawing middle and high school zones to coincide with the scheduled opening of Spain Park Middle School in August 2005. The Green Valley Elementary zone has become the hinge upon which the rezoning plan swings, Hoover's director of school services Gary McBay has said. Green Valley parents told the Board of Education at a meeting recently that they want to be left alone. As the oldest part of Hoover, they don't think it's fair for their children to be sent farther away to Berry and especially Spain Park High, they've said. They now attend Simmons Middle School and Hoover High. David Shipley, a spokesman for the group, said school board President Joe Dean has said numerous times that the concept of neighborhood schools is important. Given that, it doesn't make sense to make students from Green Valley travel across town to Spain Park, Shipley said. Doing so would remove their rich tradition of community education, he said. Shipley said he understood several ideas were being considered to split students from Green Valley between Berry and Simmons middle schools. "No matter how you draw the lines, north/south or east/west, we prefer to keep our educational community intact," he said. "In Green Valley, we define community as something more than a group of students attending school together. The seeds of community may start in the classroom, but they bloom in life outside the classroom, in after-school activities, on week ends and in houses of worship. "To split our children between schools would shake the foundation of our educational community," Shipley said. Public trust in the Hoover Board of Education is at an alltime low in the Green Valley area, he said. Parents have at times gotten the impression that school officials don't care what they think, Shipley said. They've gotten mixed messages from board employees, board members and some City Council members, he said. There also needs to be more coordination between the school board and City Council concerning growth issues, he said. Shipley asked the school board to reconsider creating a task force immediately to study rezoning options. The school system successfully has used task forces for major changes in the past and should not abandon the idea now, he said. Hoover schools Superintendent Jack Farr proposed such a task force last month, but he has taken medical leave until his retirement takes effect June 1. "Damage has been done, and some scars are deep, but it's not too late to restore faith and trust in our Board of Education," Shipley said. "By including educators and parents at all levels and from all schools in the Hoover district, the healing hands of time, partnership and community cooperation will rebuild the trust in our school administration that today is so sorely lacking, but that we in Green Valley are so hopeful of restoring." Acting Superintendent Connie Williams said she and her staff continue to review ideas generated by staff and the public. They're looking at the pros and cons of each idea, trying to find a solution to meet, as much as possible, the needs of individuals, but mostly keeping in mind the overall needs of the system, she said. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:13pm Birmingham News (AL) APARTMENTS CAUSE POLITICAL CROSSFIRE April 28, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H TROY GOODMAN News staff writer More than a year ago, Phillip and Dana Christian determined that a house in Hoover, one of northern Alabama's hottest realestate markets, was beyond their financial means. An apartment, however, was within their budget. So the Christians moved into the aging Spring Aire Apartments off Rocky Ridge Road with their baby girl. Now an elementary school, parks and plenty of shopping are just blocks away, the young couple said. Interstates 65 and 459 are close by, so getting to their jobs seems easier than from other suburbs, they said. But it didn't take long for the Christians to pick up on negative comments being made by some city leaders, school officials and many home-owning neighbors that apartment renters are somehow less worthy than residents in more traditional homes. The apartment critics use terms like transient and substandard housing. It's a dialogue that makes Phillip Christian bristle, he said. "This makes me angry when people act so elitist," the 24-year-old BellSouth technician said. "If there are single-parent families or young families like ours and they want to live in a nice area, they should be able to do that." Hoover apartments generate more than $650,000 in annual revenue for the city through a 1-percent lease tax levied against apartment owners for each rental unit, records show. The complexes also generate property tax, but that goes to the county, according to city Revenue Director Frank Lopez. Homeowners' opposition Still, many Hoover residents don't welcome apartment renters with open arms. Homeowner groups regularly crowd the city's Planning and Zoning Commission meetings to oppose apartment construction out of fear it will bring down nearby home values. Business owners have complained to City Council members about existing apartments, claiming they generate street clutter and drive customers away. City officials say the clustering of apartments is a safety issue, since the majority of nonmedical fire department calls in Hoover are in response to apartment fires. Even the mayor's office is publicizing the fact that, since October 2000, the administration has rezoned a dozen properties that could have contained 1,900 apartment units to some other building class. Those rezoned districts must now contain single-family homes, garden homes or something besides apartments in order for development to move forward. "Hoover is saying 'we don't want apartments' and they take pride in that," said Kent Graeve, president of the Alabama Apartment Association. He said his group has kept a close eye on the situation, and may entervene, in some way politically, if Hoover doesn't soften toward renters. "When we go to other states, there is a more open attitude to more sound planning, Graeve said. The association's Birmingham chapter helps publish the bi-annual Birmingham Apartment Survey. The latest issue, which shows economic activity up to November 2003, found Hoover's apartment market has the highest-priced, newest units of the eight "submarkets" surrounding the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan area. In terms of occupancy over a one-year period, Hoover had a net gain of 3 rental units compared to net losses in every other submarket except the Southside, data shows. Councilman vocal The rosy market analysis doesn't impress City Councilman Jody Patterson. Last week Patterson delivered a halfhour speech before the council, criticizing Mayor Barbara McCollum for failing to live up to several 2000 campaign-related promises, including opposing any new apartments. McCollum, who is running for re-election, has taken heat lately for allowing the planned Ross Bridge development on the city's western edge to include 600 apartments. "She keeps saying these apartments that (Ross Bridge developer) Daniel Corp. is putting in Shannon Valley will be upscale, and first class," Patterson said a few days before his speech. "But all the apartments on Lorna Road and other areas were first class 20 or 30 years ago. Now it's totally different." Graeve said such views are misinformed and feed antiapartment sentiments. Graeve, president of Birmingham-based Arlington Properties, which owns several apartment complexes, talked about national statistics that show more and more affluent Americans live in apartments because they want to cut their work commutes and be closer to shopping and green-space areas. Also, Census 2000 numbers reveal demand for apartments is likely to remain strong for the next 10 years, mainly because the fastest growing segment of the population - households without school-age children - is the segment most likely to rent. Graeve said economics will prove that any community push toward 100-percent home ownership will prove risky to personal incomes and property values. "This attitude that everyone has to live in a house . . . my prediction is that in two years, this nation is going to see the highest foreclosure rate we've ever seen in history," Graeve said. Another thorny issue for Hoover has been the school system's decision to rezone, in part, because administrators say they must disperse apartment-based students more evenly among all campuses. The goal, according to the school board, is to lessen student turnover in an effort to improve learning opportunities for all students. The loudest apartment foes have seized on the rezoning issue, using the pressure Hoover schools are feeling as a way to discourage new apartment construction. Two mayoral candidates, Bob Lochamy and Tony Petelos, have been blunt: "no new apartments," each has said during campaign meetings. A survey last year by the Hoover City Schools found that elementary-school student turnover was 47.8 percent for apartment residents, compared to 9.4 percent for single-familyhome residents. Apartmentbased students represented less than a third of total elementary enrollment, though, allowing smaller student turnover numbers to appear large as a percentage. National numbers paint a different picture of apartments' impact on schools, Graeve said. A 1999 survey by the National Multi Housing Council and other advocacy groups found on a unit-by-unit basis, newer single-family houses have three times as many school-age children as apartments. Apartment stats 94.8 % occupancy rate (out of a total 10,597 units) Up 3 Net change in occupied apartments during one year (period ending November 2003). 1,081 sq. ft. Average apartment size $696 Average monthly rent (includes efficiency, one-, two- and three-bedroom units) Sources: Birmingham Apartment Survey, Hoover city schools Note: Data include complexes in Vestavia Hills, south Jefferson County and north Shelby County. They exclude apartments along U.S. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:14pm Birmingham News (AL) FINANCE CHIEF: SYSTEM NOW IN GOOD SHAPE FOR BUILDING April 28, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 2-H JON ANDERSONNews staff writer The Hoover Board of Education is "well-positioned" to finance construction of new schools, the system's finance chief told the school board last week. But despite the healthy financial condition, there are uncertain variables that will affect Hoover's ability to build schools and keep up with the city's fast-growing population, said Andy Craig, assistant superintendent for finance and business. Craig's financial update comes as some school board members are saying the system likely will need to spend $120 million to build five new schools in the next six to eight years. In an interview, Craig said it's not certain the system can accommodate that type of construction, but he believes it will be OK if revenues continue to grow as projected and the capacity of existing schools is used practically. The ability to build schools in the future will depend on factors such as the growth of property tax revenues, enrollment and state funding, he said. The school system ended fiscal 2003 with about $40 million in its "brick and mortar" fund, which receives 24 mills of property taxes each year. Revenues into that 24-mill fund have grown from $17.6 million in fiscal 1999 to $21.3 million in 2000, $22.7 million in 2001, $22.8 million in 2002 and $23.7 million in 2003, Craig said. The amount is expected to jump about 14 percent to more than $27 million this fiscal year, he said. This year's comparatively steep revenue jump comes because of recent property value reappraisals, Craig said. The jump in revenues will increase the school system's borrowing capacity, if it chooses to borrow more money to finance construction, Craig said. The school system is in good enough shape now that it could pay for some construction projects with cash, if the board so desired, he said. School board President Joe Dean said it's good to know the school system has the capacity to do what it needs to do if it manages its money wisely. School board member and former Hoover schools Superintendent Robert Bumpus told his fellow board members last week that they may be able to solve some of their expected crowding problems if they "aggressively pursue" their building program. Bumpus has said he believes Hoover will need a third high school, a fourth and fifth middle school and an 11th and 12th elementary school within the next six to eight years. Acting Superintendent Connie Williams said some people are saying the system doesn't need to build buildings now because there's room at some schools for more students if they're rezoned. That's what the debate concerning rezoning students in the Green Valley Elementary zone from Simmons Middle School to Berry Middle School and from Hoover High to Spain Park High is all about, Williams said. Those discussions continue. Bumpus said the school system can't control the level of building in Hoover, but it better get ready for it. He drove around in high-growth areas recently, and "it boggled my mind what is going on," he said. "What's happening to this city - it's going to catch us." |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:15pm Birmingham News (AL) COMMUNITY BRIEFS April 27, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 3-B Hoover to discuss school zones The Hoover Board of Education on Monday called a special work session for Tuesday, May 4, to discuss redrawing attendance zones for Hoover's middle and high schools. The school board approved rezoning plans April 7 for its 10 elementary schools but still has to address secondary schools. The work session is set for 5 p.m., and the public will have a chance to speak at the beginning and end of the session, school board President Joe Dean said. Board members also will discuss the matter with school system administrators. If more time is needed, a second work session will be held Monday, May 10 at 5 p.m. New middle school lines must be drawn to accommodate the opening of Hoover's fourth middle school, Spain Park Middle. Site work has begun, and the school is set to open in August 2005. School officials also are considering redrawing high school zones because of the middle school changes and the need to address expected crowding at Hoover High in several years. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:17pm Birmingham News (AL) SCHOOL BOARD INDEFINITE ON REZONING OF MIDDLE SCHOOL April 21, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 7-H JON ANDERSON News staff writer The Hoover school board likely will make a decision concerning middle school rezoning in the "near future," board President Joe Dean said last week. The creation of a Spain Park Middle School zone was pulled from the rezoning agenda two weeks ago at the last minute after school officials expressed concerns about expected student populations. "To create a new school, Spain Park Middle School is going to require a critical mass of students," Dean said. "To do that, we need to be certain that we do not go below a critical mass at any other middle school." Hoover schools Superintendent Jack Farr, who took medical leave two weeks ago until his retirement takes effect June 1, was recommending that students from Greystone and Rocky Ridge elementaries feed into Spain Park Middle School. The new middle school is set to open in August 2005. The projection two weeks ago was that Spain Park Middle would open with an estimated 485 students, shrinking enrollment at Berry Middle from 1,075 to about 560 students. The school board, however, "was not comfortable with the analysis of data which had been used to propose the student populations of middle schools," Dean said. Acting Superintendent Connie Williams said she questioned the enrollment numbers as well, but couldn't pinpoint what was wrong with them. Because the middle school zones didn't have to be determined two weeks ago, the board decided to hold off. Williams said the numbers discussed two weeks ago indeed were incorrect due to the school rezoning plan going through so many changes. Gary McBay, the director of school services and architect of the rezoning plan, said it now appears that if the new Spain Park Middle School were made up of students from Rocky Ridge and Greystone, Spain Park Middle would have about 515 students, and Berry would have about 450 students. The minimum optimal size of a middle school is about 600 students, Williams said. Spain Park Middle likely would grow with additional construction slated for Greystone, but school officials are concerned about Berry's population sinking too low. McBay originally had proposed that students from Green Valley Elementary be rezoned from Simmons Middle to Berry to keep Berry at a decent size. That proposal drew loud protests from Green Valley parents, many of whom said they don't want their children being put on a track to Spain Park High rather than Hoover High. McBay said last week school officials will continue to study all their options. Williams said she expects the matter may come up at a school board work session Thursday, but the board may decide to set another work session to discuss it. Williams said she needs more time to review the matter and doesn't expect to have a recommendation ready for board action at the April 26 board meeting. She knows people are eager to find out what will happen with middle and high school rezoning, but school officials don't want to jump the gun with a premature decision, she said. Dean said the school board is committed to having a student population sufficient to offer the educational programs and extracurricular activities that are appropriate for a middle school. "The board anticipates a decision being made on this in the near future," he said. "We're poised to act, but we feel it is imperative we have the best information possible." School officials also two weeks ago pulled a proposal to immediately begin the construction process for a new school building next to Hoover High. Initially, such a facility likely would house ninth-grade students from Hoover High and later be turned into a middle school once the school system's third high school opens. The proposal to start the construction process was pulled because it's so inter-related with middle school rezoning, Dean and Williams said. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:19pm Birmingham News (AL) BOARD TO REDRAW ELEMENTARY ZONES SUPERINTENDENT JACK FARR RETIRES, CITES BATTLE AGAINST CANCEROUS BRAIN TUMOR April 8, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-C Illustration: A Newschart titled 'Results of school zone changes' accompanied this article. JON ANDERSON News staff writer The Hoover school board voted 4-1 Wednesday to redraw all of its elementary school zone lines after several months of contentious debate in the community. Superintendent Jack Farr also resigned, citing his ongoing battle with a cancerous brain tumor and desire to spend more time with family. Farr's 37-year career in education will end officially by June 1. However, the board on Wednesday agreed to give him medical leave, effective today, and appointed Deputy Superintendent Connie Williams as acting superintendent. More than 100 people crowded the school system's central office for the special called meeting, lining the walls and overflowing into the hall. Most were there because of the controversial school zoning plan, which school officials say will rezone about 1,500 of 5,100 elementary students to different schools next school year. The school board did not rezone high school students and put off the creation of a new middle school zone until questions about the plan can be addressed, board President Joe Dean said. Farr withdrew plans to create an attendance zone for the Spain Park Middle School set to open in August 2005. He had recommended that students in that school come from Greystone and Rocky Ridge elementaries. Dean said board members still had questions about that idea. The comprehensive rezoning plan was designed to bring many students closer to their schools and accommodate population shifts, growth and changes in Hoover's geography in the past 15 years, Dean said. It also rezones about 1,000 of the 1,300 Hoover students who live in apartments, shifting students in 25 of Hoover's 40 or so apartment complexes. School officials said the apartment rezoning was needed, in many cases, to get students closer to their school, but also to redistribute apartment students more evenly among schools to reduce high student turnover in certain schools. After the vote, Dean said the plan approved by the board is the best plan because of the intense scrutiny from parents, who have helped school officials understand the passion they have for their children's education. Hundreds of parents turned out for four public meetings last week to express their views and ask questions. Others have flooded school officials with phone calls, letters and emails. "Processes such as this are inevitably fraught with frustration and difficulty because no one feels that their voice is being heard," Dean said. "In reality, their voices are being heard but are having to be balanced against the voices of other parents just as passionate regarding their own situation." Bill Vietch was the only school board member to vote against the plan. Vietch said he supports 90 percent of it but would rather consider waiting a year or two or giving more people an opportunity to stay where they are. The approved plan gives third- and fourth-graders the option to stay at their current school two more years until they go to middle school in the sixth grade. However, all new students in rezoned areas must attend the school for which that area is zoned. Vietch said he also had a problem with zoning the new 1,600-acre Ross Bridge development in western Hoover to Spain Park High School on the eastern side of the city. 'Awful long way' "It seems like an awful long way for them to drive," he said. "That just bothers me." Witt said that decision needs to made now so homeowners will know where their children will attend before they buy lots. Brian Brown, a Greystone El ementary parent whose child is being rezoned to Rocky Ridge Elementary, said the rezoning plan is irresponsible. "We want our children to attend the best school possible. That's the reason we moved into our neighborhood," Brown said. There's a vast difference between Greystone and Rocky Ridge, Brown said, noting Rocky Ridge's high student turnover and standardized test scores that are significantly lower than scores at Greystone. Moving students from areas where there are fewer transients to Rocky Ridge is not the solution to the problems there, Brown said. Rocky Ridge parent Robert McGuffie was pleased with the school board's decision. "From an elementary standpoint, it's the best possible process for the entire system," McGuffie said. "It serves each school better in terms of the educational opportunities . . . This board has done an excellent job and put a lot of long hours in trying to do the right thing for everybody." Bluff Park Elementary and Simmons Middle School parent Don Lutomski said the rezoning plan is somewhat helpful but isn't the real solution to help children learn better. School leaders need to put more people in the classroom to help struggling students, he said. Hoover Superintendent Jack Farr asks the school board to accept his resignation for medical reasons during a meeting on Wednesday. Board members accepted, granted his request for medical leave beginning today and named an acting superintendent. Farr was supported by his wife, Janice, left, and daughter Jani. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:21pm Birmingham News (AL) PARENTS IN HOOVER SERIOUS ABOUT SCHOOLS April 7, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H Peggy Sanford The much-contested school rezoning proposal in Hoover has morphed again. The most recent transformation grew out of a 3 1/2-hour meeting Sunday of the Hoover Board of Education, Superintendent Jack Farr and the superintendent's staff. It's still not a plan that will satisfy everyone. That's still impossible. What may make the latest version more palatable to many parents, though, is that school officials finally have added an exception to the rezonings. If it remains part of the recommendation Farr makes to the school board today, and the board adopts it, all current third- and fourth-graders in areas affected by the rezoning would have the option to remain at their current schools, without bus transportation, until they begin middle school. If that option had been presented at the outset, some of the intense objection from many homeowners to the redrawing of school zones may have been avoided, or at least tempered. In many ways, the proposal born on Sunday returns to the initial plan formulated by Hoover's director of school services, Gary McBay. Farr had said during public hearings last week that he would recommend rezoning only those students who will attend the new Riverchase Elementary, opening in August, and students from about 25 Hoover apartment complexes. The proposal, as it stood on Monday, would return to rezoning students in the Greystone Elementary zone who live west of Spain Park High to Rocky Ridge Elementary. It also would rezone some Bluff Park Elementary students to Gwin Elementary, although about a dozen students on Crest Cove would now be exempted from that move. The plan also would rezone Gwin Elementary students who live in the Wood Meadows community east of U.S. 31 to Green Valley Elementary. There's more to the plan, particularly its call for the school board to immediately begin the process of building a new school next to Hoover High. Such a school most likely would start as a ninthgrade building and later become another middle school. The furor over school rezoning in Hoover isn't likely to die a quiet death. Too many people felt ambushed by what appeared as a rush-to-the-finish process, with public hearings added as an afterthought. Hoover school officials, if they didn't know it before, certainly know now that the city's residents hold tight to their feeling of ownership in their school system. They demand to be both witness and participant in the evolution of Hoover schools. School officials, and the school board, have some work ahead to reassure residents that they have the best interest of all Hoover children at heart. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:22pm Birmingham News (AL) PARTIAL REZONING, FIVE NEW SCHOOLS PROPOSED SPECIAL BOARD MEETING WEDNESDAY CALLED TO STUDY FARR'S SUGGESTIONS April 6, 2004 Section: News Page: 2-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover school officials on Monday outlined plans for rezoning middle school students and said they likely will need to spend about $120 million on five new schools in the next six to eight years. Superintendent Jack Farr said Monday night he expects to recommend that students from Greystone and Rocky Ridge elementary schools should feed into the Spain Park Middle School set to open in August 2005. That would give Spain Park Middle an estimated 485 students when it opens and shrink enrollment at Berry Middle School from 1,075 to about 560 students, said Gary McBay, Hoover's director of school services. The middle school rezoning plan will be combined with an elementary school rezoning plan as part of Farr's recommendation to the school board, which must approve any rezoning. The school board has called a special meeting for 4 p.m. Wednesday to take action on the plan. Farr said his recommendations will take into account talks with his staff and the school board on Sunday and Monday and public meetings last week. Farr said he won't recommend any changes in high school zoning. He and school board President Joe Dean said they hope the school system can avoid rezoning students in the Green Valley Elementary zone from Simmons Middle to Berry Middle, and thus also avoid switching them from Hoover High to Spain Park High. Many Green Valley parents opposed such a switch, saying Spain Park was too far away and that, as the oldest part of Hoover, Green Valley has deep ties to the Hoover Buccaneers. Farr plans to recommend the construction of a new building next to Hoover High that initially could house Hoover High ninth-graders but later be turned into Hoover's fifth middle school. That hopefully should help avoid expected overcrowding at Hoover High, which could allow students from the Green Valley zone to stay at Hoover High, Farr said. Changes in high school zoning hopefully won't be necessary until Hoover builds its third high school by 2010 or 2012, McBay said. Dean said it's important for people to understand that a third high school and other schools will be needed. "Once people begin to come to grips with that, they should also be prepared to be thinking because building new facilities and the new zones that would be required could possibly affect them," Dean said. Hoover already has begun the process of building Spain Park Middle. The ninth-grade building and future middle school next to Hoover High needs to be ready in three years, McBay said. Three to four years after that, the third high school will be needed, and two other elementary schools likely will be needed by then, he said. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:24pm Birmingham News (AL) HOOVER DRAWS NEW SCHOOL ZONE PLAN April 5, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer The Hoover school board and Superintendent Jack Farr on Sunday reached a "general agreement" concerning the first phase of a controversial school rezoning plan. In a 3 1/2-hour informal work session at the school system's central office Sunday afternoon, the board, Farr and Farr's staff worked out a solution they believe will help their system address future growth and high student turnover in certain schools. They called a special meeting for 4 p.m. Wednesday to take action. The modified plan would rezone 900 to 1,000 of Hoover's 5,100 elementary students to different schools in the 2004-05 school year, including students in apartments and single-family homes, said Gary McBay, Hoover's director of school services. A week ago, Farr recommended the board scale back the rezoning proposal to include only those students who will attend the new Riverchase Elementary set to open in August and students in 25 of Hoover's 40 or so apartment complexes. The new plan goes further than that. It includes several elements that were part of the original rezoning plan submitted by McBay in February, with a few modifications. The newly revised plan would: Rezone students in the Greystone Elementary zone who live west of Spain Park High to Rocky Ridge Elementary. That proposal has been strongly opposed by Greystone parents but welcomed by parents at Rocky Ridge, who are anxious to get more students from single-family homes in their school. Rezone Bluff Park Elementary students who live along Shades Crest Road south of Sulphur Springs Road to Gwin Elementary, with the Moss Rock Preserve nature park as a dividing line between the Bluff Park and Gwin zones. That would leave about a dozen students on Crest Cove at Bluff Park, which is different from the original proposal, McBay said. Rezone Gwin Elementary students who live in the Wood Meadows community behind the Goody's store on U.S. 31 to Green Valley Elementary. One new element of the plan introduced Sunday would give all current third- and fourthgraders in areas affected by the rezoning the option to remain at their current school, without bus transportation, until they go to middle school in sixth grade. That option would extend to students in both single-family homes and apartments, McBay said. However, all new students moving into those areas would go to the new school regardless of grade level. The new plan also calls for the school board to immediately begin the process of constructing a new school next to Hoover High. The building initially could be used to house Hoover High ninth-graders, but eventually could be turned into Hoover's fifth middle school, school board members said. The building could be ready in three years. That would help relieve expected overcrowding at Hoover High and delay the need to build a more expensive third high school, McBay said. School board member Robert Bumpus said the new plan won't make everyone happy, but if it makes logical sense to do it, it must be done. Board member Bill Vietch said he wasn't sold on the need to re zone apartment students just to reduce the high student turnover at certain schools. He questioned whether it would really help those students to move them away from the closest school. McBay said the rezoning plan actually would move many apartment students closer to their schools. Some would be further away, but the need to reduce the student turnover at certain schools outweighs the geography in some cases, McBay said. Green Valley Elementary Principal Linda Campanotta, who attended the work session, said reducing the number of transient students in classrooms enables teachers to better serve all students in their classes. Farr said he generally agreed with the plan outlined Sunday, and will review it further in detail today before making a for mal recommendation to the school board for action on Wednesday. The school board scheduled another informal work session today at 4 p.m. to discuss future rezoning at the middle- and high-school level. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:25pm Birmingham News (AL) APARTMENT ZONE PLAN CALLED UNFAIR ADVOCATE: TREATS SOME AS 'ANOTHER CLASS' April 2, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-C JON ANDERSON News staff writer The head of the Alabama Apartment Association said Thursday the Hoover school system's proposal to rezone apartment students to schools outside their immediate communities is unfair. "This thing is very, very, very wrong to be treating apartment people as another class of people - that they can be treated differently from people that live across the street in a single-family home," said Kent Graeve, president of the association. Graeve, also president of Arlington Properties, which manages 3,600 apartment units in four Southeastern states, said apartment owners will be organizing to fight Hoover's plan. Hoover Superintendent Jack Farr this week said he would recommend the school board back off - at least temporarily - on a proposal to rezone students from single-family homes but proceed with plans to move students in 25 Hoover apartment complexes to different schools. Farr said school officials want to reduce the number of transient students at certain schools, and apartment dwellers tend to be more transient than students from single-family homes. Having high numbers of students moving in and out of classrooms and schools affects the learning environment because teachers are continually having to adjust to students' learning levels, Hoover school officials have said. They have found that more children moving into Hoover schools in recent years are behind their Hoover peers educationally, they said. Graeve said the rezoning proposal is "just another example of Hoover stepping out and saying we don't like these 'apartment people.'" The city treats apartments as a second class in other ways, such as taxes, Graeve said. The city charges apartment owners a 1-percent lease tax for every apartment they lease, said Hoover Revenue Director Frank Lopez. However, the city does not tax leases on commercial property, Lopez said. "That's not right," Graeve said. "They treat apartments differently and more severely." Lopez said it's hard to compare taxes on residential leases with taxes on other types of businesses. For example, retail businesses must pay sales taxes. "It's just a completely different situation," Lopez said. "They're just apples and oranges." Graeve said the bottom line is that apartment residents are good citizens and deserve to be treated right, but they're not. Pierre Noel, an apartment resident with a child at Hoover's Gwin Elementary, told school officials at a public meeting this week that it appears people are saying apartment students de value the school system. Gary McBay, Hoover's director of school services who drew the plan to shift apartment students, said that's not true. "Every single student - whether they live in apartments, single-family homes, town homes or condominiums - they're a valuable student, and we're going to treat them as such," McBay said. Some parents have accused school officials of rezoning apartment students as an attempt to spread out lowerperforming students so their standardized test scores don't make some schools look bad. McBay said the reason for moving apartment students is to reduce the high volume of turnover in certain schools. That should make it easier for teachers to help apartment students who may be behind their peers, he said. "The whole process is designed to address the students' needs," McBay said. The Hoover school system's rezoning plan still must be presented to the school board for a vote. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:26pm Birmingham News (AL) PARENTS SAY FARR PROPOSAL HURTFUL CLAIM ROCKY RIDGE ENROLLMENT WOULD DROP SIGNIFICANTLY April 1, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer Parents at Hoover's Rocky Ridge Elementary complained Wednesday the school rezoning plan recommended by the superintendent hurts their school more than helps it. Superintendent Jack Farr's revised zoning plan would remove about 130 students from Rocky Ridge, dropping enrollment from about 520 to an estimated 390 students. Rocky Ridge parents said in a public rezoning meeting Wednesday they're glad school officials want to reduce the number of transient students from apartments at their school but they need students from single-family homes to take their place. Removing 130 students could lead to staff cuts and take away parent volunteers and PTO financial support, parents said. Kim Pennington, the mother of two boys at Rocky Ridge, said the original rezoning proposal created by Director of School Services Gary McBay did a better job of reducing the percentage of transient students. McBay's plan reduced the percentage of apartment students at Rocky Ridge from 66 percent to an estimated 41 percent. Farr's revised plan would reduce that percentage to an estimated 55 percent. Under McBay's plan, students in single-family homes would be moved from Greystone Elementary to Rocky Ridge. Under Farr's plan, they would not. Melvin Smith Sr., president of the Altadena Woods Homeowners Association, which is in the Rocky Ridge zone, said McBay's plan was well thought out and forward thinking, addressing both short-term and long-term needs for the school system. Smith peppered Farr with questions, asking who revised the plan and what basis they had for the revisions. Farr said he revised the plan, with assistance from McBay, Deputy Superintendent Connie Williams and other staff. Pennington asked Farr why he decided to back off rezoning students from single-family homes. Farr said he thought it would be an easier transition to focus on rezoning apartment students for the 2004-05 school year and let a soon-to-be-created task force review other rezoning proposals. Hundreds of homeowners have protested the rezoning of their children, saying they bought homes where they did for a particular school. Some said they were afraid their children wouldn't be challenged enough at schools with lower test scores. Rocky Ridge teacher Debbie Pitts said the public puts too much stock in test scores. "There is not a school in Hoover where these children aren't going to get a wonderful education," Pitts said. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:27pm Birmingham News (AL) HOOVER SCHOOL PLAN MISSES THE MARK, TWO OFFICIALS SAY March 31, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-A JON ANDERSON News staff writer Two Hoover school board members said Tuesday the school rezoning plan recommended Monday by Superintendent Jack Farr falls short of addressing critical issues facing the school system. Many homeowners breathed a sigh of relief this week when Farr scaled back a proposal to shift 1,500 students to different schools. But school board member Kay Witt said people seem to be under the wrong impression that Farr's plan is the one and only plan that could be adopted. "Dr. Farr's plan at this point is a recommendation he will make to the school board," Witt said. The school board can accept it, reject it or ask him to revise it, she and school board President Joe Dean emphasized. Dean stressed to about 150 people attending a meeting at Hoover High on Tuesday night that the school board did not develop the original zoning plan unveiled by Director of Student Services Gary McBay last month nor the revised plan announced by Farr on Monday. Dean and Witt said they were surprised by Farr's decision to scale back the rezoning plan in light of opposition by homeowners, and they have concerns. Farr said Monday he would recommend students in singlefamily homes not be rezoned for the 2004-05 school year, except those attending Riverchase Elementary, set to open in August. He said he would recommend rezoning children in 25 Hoover apartment complexes to different elementary schools to reduce the number of transient students at certain schools. Farr said he backed off a plan to shift students in many singlefamily homes to give parents more ownership in whatever decision is made. He plans to ask the school board to appoint a task force to review other proposed rezoning and the potential overcrowding of certain schools. Dean said in an interview he was troubled that Farr failed to make his recommendation known to the school board and the public in advance of this week's public hearings. Dean said Farr's plan doesn't do enough to address the significant difference in demographics among Hoover schools. Farr said people have time to give input before the board votes. Plan revised The original rezoning plan drafted by McBay would have lowered the percentage of apartment students at Rocky Ridge from 66 percent to an estimated 41 percent. The revised plan by Farr would reduce the percentage to an estimated 55 percent. Dean said McBay's original proposal more evenly distributed apartment students to lessen the impact of high numbers of students moving in and out of schools and classrooms. Dean said Farr's decision to hold back on some of the rezoning doesn't help the school system spread all students most efficiently among its schools. "That only prolongs and complicates the real resolution to what is best for Hoover school zoning," Dean said. "If we continue to make incremental adjustments, we will compromise the overall good of the system." Witt said she hates to see the rezoning discussions start all over again with a task force. The school board has heard loud and clear the desires of residents, she said. McBay revised his original plan to take into account those parental concerns, she said. "I thought it had a lot of good qualities in it," she said. Farr, though he praised McBay's work on the plan, chose not to go with McBay's revisions. Farr said Tuesday night board members had not told him they had concerns with his plan. "If there's something they want changed, I'm sure they'll let me know," he said. "I'm certainly open to considering anything that would make things better." A woman identifying herself as a manager of a Hoover apartment complex said Tuesday night she felt Farr's plan unfairly targets apartment children. "If you're going to rezone, you need to do it for everybody," the woman told school officials. McBay said the rezoning of apartment children is designed to help those students. Superintendent Jack FarrWould put off rezoning single-family homes School Board President Joe Dean "That only prolongs and complicates the real resolution." |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:29pm Birmingham News (AL) HOOVER HOMEOWNERS WIN SCHOOL ZONE ROUND CHANGES LIMITED TO STUDENTS FROM APARTMENTS March 30, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-A JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover school officials bowed to pressure from homeowners and said Monday they have scaled back their plans for a comprehensive redrawing of school zone lines for the next school year. Superintendent Jack Farr told an overflow crowd at a public meeting at the Hoover school board office that he is recommending that no children in single-family homes be rezoned to another school for the 2004-05 school year, except those who will attend the new Riverchase Elementary set to open in August. However, Farr said he will recommend that children in 25 of Hoover's 40 or so apartment complexes be rezoned to different elementary schools next year to reduce the number of transient students at cer tain schools. Farr said he decided to hold back any other zoning changes to give parents more ownership of whatever decision is made. He plans to ask the Hoover Board of Education to appoint a school zoning task force made up of representatives from every community in Hoover to examine the issue further. The previously proposed rezoning plan, which would have shifted about 1,500 of Hoover's 11,160 students in the next two years, drew angry responses from many parents. Parents flooded school system leaders with complaints. Many said they bought homes where they did just so they could be in a particular school zone. Rezoning them is unfair and could be harmful to their children educationally and emotionally, they said. More meetings set Farr's surprise decision came at the first of four public meetings to be held this week to discuss school zoning. Another meeting is set for tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Hoover High School theater. Other meetings will be Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Hoover school board central office and Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Hoover High School theater. The same information should be presented at each meeting, school officials said. However, the meetings also are designed to give parents and others a chance to ask questions and give comments about the rezoning plan. Farr said he thought Monday's meeting went well, given the strong emotions people have on the issue. About 150 people crammed into the Hoover school board meeting room Monday morning. Many wore stickers calling for a moratorium on school rezoning. There was loud applause when Gary McBay, the architect of the original rezoning plan, announced no single-family homes would be rezoned next year. Several parents thanked school officials for backing off the original plan and giving them a chance to be involved in decision-making. Some said parents should have been involved from the start. "We need to be able to contribute, not react," said Don Lutomski, a father of students at Bluff Park Elementary and Simmons Middle. "You lay out the mandate. We'll give you the answers." Lisa Weaver, the mother of students at Green Valley Elementary, Simmons Middle and Hoover High, said the task force needs to include representatives from the Hoover City Council and school board, the city planner and principals. Now, everyone is working in separate groups, she said. "We need something together," Weaver said. "We need to have a total overhaul as to the way we operate." Several parents said the plan to shift apartment students to different schools isn't a solution to the problems schools face in helping new students rise to the education level of their peers. It appears school officials are just trying to dilute the impact on schools' test scores by spreading struggling students out, parents said. The school system needs to provide more resources to help those children improve, parent Sherrill Howland said. McBay said the idea is to reduce the number of transient students - not to dilute the numbers but to manage those numbers more effectively. If fewer students are coming and going from a classroom, teachers can help those students and others more effectively, he said. The proposed attendance zone for Riverchase Elementary includes the Riverchase, Quail Run, Southlake and Valley Station communities, including six apartment complexes. Hoover parents were eager to talk during a public hearing on the proposed rezoning of Hoover schools. Children living in many Hoover apartments will have to change schools under the new rezoning. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:29pm Birmingham News (AL) SCHOOL REZONING PLAN DELAYED HOOVER PARENTS MUST WAIT UNTIL FORUMS March 27, 2004 Section: News Page: 11-A JEREMY GRAY News staff writer Parents in Hoover were told they would get to see revisions to a school rezoning plan before a series of public forums next week, but as of Friday no changes had been made public. Superintendent Jack Farr said Friday the plan, including any revisions he may recommend, will be the subject of four informational meetings next week. Some residents had hoped they would have time to study any changes Farr made to the proposed plan before the first meeting, which is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Hoover Board of Education's central office. Director of School Services Gary McBay, the architect of the controversial plan, said Monday that Farr was still reviewing the plan. Calls to McBay's office Tuesday were not immediately returned and much of the staff of the central office was on vacation for spring break week. Contacted Friday, Farr said he was in the midst of a chemotherapy treatment and would present any proposed changes during the first public forum. Farr is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor that was diagnosed and partially removed in late 2002. Some parents, already upset over the rezoning plan, were further aggravated by the latest delay. "That's a little frustrating," said Stacey Stocks, president of Bluff Park Elementary's parentteacher organization. "They led everybody to believe they wanted them to see it beforehand so they'd be able to ask questions more easily. The staff at the central office didn't work but two days last week, so I think there probably got to be a time crunch," she said. Rhonda Chumbley, parent of a Greystone Elementary firstgrader who might be moved to Rocky Ridge if the rezoning is adopted, said she anticipated seeing the revisions before next week's hearings. School Board President Joe Dean said during last week's school board meeting that the revised plan would be available before the public hearings, Chumbley said. She called the delay "just another thing they've told us that hasn't come true." Dean said Friday that school board members also had not seen any revisions. "We anticipated, and the public anticipated, having the proposed revisions and recommendations in advance of the public meeting." He apologized for the delay. "I'm sorry it didn't unfold as anticipated." Farr had said in a previous meeting that he would make a recommendation regarding the plan in time for the school board act on it by early April. Mayoral candidate Bob Lochamy called on the school board Friday to issue a moratorium on the rezoning, except as may be needed for the new Riverchase Elementary School slated to open in August. Lochamy also recommended the board restart the process of redrawing school zones after next week's public hearings. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:30pm Birmingham News (AL) CONTROVERSIAL SCHOOL REZONING TO BE TOPIC AT 4 PUBLIC MEETINGS March 18, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 3-C JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover school officials said Wednesday they are making changes to a controversial plan that redraws attendance zones for every school in the city system. The revised plan will be presented at four public meetings March 29 through April 1. Two of the meetings will be in the morning, and two will be at night. The plan has sparked vocal opposition, particularly from parents of many of the 1,500 students set to be moved to different schools. Many parents say they bought homes where they did just so they could be in a particular school zone. Rezoning them is unfair and could be harmful to their children, they say. Some are concerned about the quality of education at various schools, while others are disturbed about the emotional impact the move could have on their children. Sammy and Cathy Harris, parents of a Green Valley Elementary fourth-grader, had 100 antirezoning yard signs printed and sold them quickly. Other parents have organized community meetings to spread the word about the rezoning and formulate plans to oppose it. Some parents have spoken in favor of the plan, particularly on its proposal to spread apartment students more evenly among schools. The plan as originally presented would shift students from 28 of Hoover's 40 or so apartment complexes to different schools. Superintendent Jack Farr said the idea behind the apartment shuffle was to reduce the impact of high numbers of students moving in and out of certain schools. Apartments tend to have more transient students, he said. School officials said they have listened to the concerns of parents and are reviewing analyses of the rezoning plan by university-level educators. Gary McBay, the architect of the plan, said Wednesday he wasn't ready to reveal its revisions because school officials were still working on some of them. More information will be available at the public meetings. Those presentations will include an overview of the rezoning proposal, an explanation of the rationale behind it, a review of who would be affected and who would not, and a proposed schedule for phasing in the rezoning. Here are the meeting dates, times and locations: Monday, March 29, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Hoover Board of Education central office. Tuesday, March 30, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Hoover High School theater. Wednesday, March 31, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Hoover Board of Education central office. Thursday, April 1, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Hoover High School theater. Farr said school officials will continue listening to feedback until the last minute before the school board acts on the plan. "We don't want to shut off anybody from asking a question or presenting their particular need," he said. Farr said he expects to make a recommendation in time for the school board to take action by early April. Zoning decisions need to be made by then so preparations can be made for the next school year, he said. Hoover parents upset over the proposal to redraw all school attendance zones distribute signs protesting the plan. Polo Trace residents, from left, Cathy Harriss and Jo Anne Moore assemble signs to distribute. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:32pm Birmingham News (AL) SCHOOL ZONE PLAN STIRS WORRIES PARENTS 'CLAMORING' FOR INPUT, DEAN SAYS March 10, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H Illustration: Newscharts titled 'Test scores and teachers', and 'Assessing schools: percent apartment students; Achievement/ability grade; Percent eligible for free or reduced-price meals; Students per teacher' accompanied this article. JON ANDERSON News staff writer A proposal to redraw all attendance zones for Hoover City Schools has drawn angry response from many parents who claim it's unfair to property owners and possibly hurtful to their children. The school system's central office has been getting about 50 phone calls a day about zoning since the plan was unveiled three weeks ago, one employee said. About 20 people a day come by the office to look at zoning maps, and others are sending e-mails and letters. Parents have organized community meetings to discuss the issue. "People are truly clamoring for opportunities for input," school board President Joe Dean said. They're letting their opinions be known, and that's exactly what board members want to hear, he said. Superintendent Jack Farr said there's been a tremendous amount of public input, which he is considering as he develops a recommendation to the school board. That recommendation may not be ready by the board's March 18 meeting, as earlier predicted. School officials last week were still awaiting a review of the zoning proposal by university consultants. Farr said Thursday he expects to have a plan to present to the board "in the next 30 days." Before then, administrators plan to schedule at least one public meeting on the issue, Farr said. Dean said most parents who have contacted him, as expected, are disturbed by the idea of their children being rezoned to a different school. The proposed changes should send about 1,500 of Hoover's 11,160 students to a different school, said Gary McBay, director of school services and architect of the plan. Some parents say they bought homes where they did specifically to be in their current school zone. Jennifer Crawford said she bought a home in the Bluff Park school zone two years ago so her three daughters could go to school there. She could have bought the same house in Russet Woods for $30,000 less but bore the higher expense so her kids could go to Bluff Park, she said. The proposed rezoning plan would move her daughters to Gwin Elementary, which, she noted, has lower standardized test scores. Her children are devastated at the idea of switching schools, she said. Crawford also said she feels the school system is "just messing with people's financial obligations and dealings." "I feel like I've just wasted $30,000." Crawford said she and other parents also are upset because the school system gave so little notice about the proposed changes. Apartment students The Bluff Park PTO Board sent a letter to Dean, saying the parents at Bluff Park are ready to welcome apartment students proposed to be rezoned to their school. They don't, however, believe other students should be forced into another school zone to accommodate the new arrivals, the letter said. "We can handle the growth," the PTO board members said. Bluff Park parent Kim Dees questioned in an e-mail to school officials whether the school board truly was looking out for the interests of children. "If you can sleep at night knowing that you are making kids cry because they will no longer be able to see their friends at school, and having unhappy property-tax-paying families, then you are truly monsters," Dees wrote. "This will not go away in a week," Dees wrote. "The community is listening, and we will spread our message until you come up with a reasonable solution." Opposition to the rezoning plan isn't limited to Bluff Park. Some parents in the Green Valley Elementary zone are upset about their older children being rezoned from Simmons Middle School to Berry Middle School and from Hoover High to Spain Park High. Mark Carroll said Green Valley is where Hoover started, so students there should get to go to Hoover High, the city's namesake high school. It takes almost twice as long to get to Spain Park from Green Valley, too, Carroll said. Russell Gray, a parent of cheerleaders at Simmons and Hoover, said school officials should go ahead with plans to rezone many apartment complexes but shouldn't disrupt more permanent, taxpaying residents who have spent a great deal of money to be in certain school districts. "There's going to be an awful lot of opposition," Gray said. The school board also needs to build another high school to keep people from having to drive so far, he said. Irked in Greystone Hundreds of parents in north Shelby County are upset about plans to rezone their children from Greystone Elementary to Rocky Ridge Elementary. Greystone has the highest Stanford Achievement Test scores among Hoover schools, while Rocky Ridge has the lowest. Greystone parent Ken McLain said there's a synergy at Greystone Elementary that comes from high-performing students challenging each other. He said Rocky Ridge has a fine faculty and physical campus, but he's not convinced his daughter will get the same challenging atmosphere there. Hoover school officials need to strongly consider delaying the rezoning until student-teacher ratios are lowered at schools with 30 percent or more transient students, McLain said. The school board, even if it proceeds with the rezoning, needs to let existing students stay at Greystone so as not to disrupt their education, McLain said. Many parents at Rocky Ridge disagree, saying they're eager to get more homeowners as parents at their school, which currently has 66 percent apartment students. The transient nature of apartment students has a negative impact on education when many are in the same class and tends to lessen parental involvement and financial support, Rocky Ridge parents have said. Beth Hines, who will have a kindergartner at Rocky Ridge in August, said she's tickled that school officials are looking to re duce the percentage of apartment students there by spreading apartment students among more schools. She's also glad to see some of the Greystone children headed for Rocky Ridge. "We're excited to welcome those neighborhoods back into the Rocky Ridge family," she said. Some parents of children in apartment complexes oppose the rezoning proposal, which would move students in 28 of Hoover's 40 apartment complexes. Dean said some people seem to think the zoning proposal is set in stone. He emphasized that it's still "a work in progress." The proposal presented to the board represented a logical distribution of students among present and projected schools, Dean said. It was thoughtfully developed using current and optimal enrollment numbers and building capacities, he said. As hard as the plan seems, the school board and administrators have the responsibility to periodically reassess school zone lines as the city's geography, population and demographics change, Dean said. "We would be irresponsible if we did not do that," he said. "It is something that is necessary. It's timely and long overdue." Farr said change is hard. But most parents who have called him tend to agree that "once we get through it |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:34pm Birmingham News (AL) PLAN WOULD SHUFFLE STUDENTS March 3, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H Illustration: Newsmaps titled 'Elementary school apartment shake-up', 'Middle school apartment shuffle' and 'High school zoning changes' accompanied this article. JON ANDERSON News staff writer The Hoover school system's proposal to redraw school zone lines includes shuffling students in 28 of Hoover's 40 apartment complexes, school system records show. The biggest change in terms of apartments would occur at the elementary level. Students at 25 apartment complexes would find themselves going to a different elementary school in August if the proposed plan is approved. Children in seven of those 25 apartment complexes, plus three other complexes, would go to a different middle school in August 2005. Children in five apartment complexes would go to a different high school in 2005. The Hoover school board is expected to consider the rezoning plan at its March 18 meeting. School administrators say they want to spread students from apartment complexes among more schools because some schools simply have too many. For example, about 345 of the 522 students at Rocky Ridge Elementary, or 66 percent, come from apartments, school board records show. The high concentration of apartment students and the tendency for apartment students to be more transient affects the education process, Superintendent Jack Farr has said. Teachers have to adjust curricula for children coming into their classrooms in the middle of the year, and high transiency rates tend to negatively affect parental involvement and school fund-raisers, school officials have said. Four elementary schools besides Rocky Ridge - Green Valley, Trace Crossings, Shades Mountain and Gwin - have more than 30 percent apartment students, while Greystone has less than 1 percent. Three elementary schools - Bluff Park, Deer Valley and South Shades Crest - have none. The new school zoning proposal puts at least one apartment complex in every school and includes some major reshuffling. Rocky Ridge would lose six apartment complexes and gain one, lowering its percentage of apartment students from 66 per cent to 41 percent. Four of those six complexes would be rezoned for Green Valley, and two would be rezoned for Trace Crossings. Every apartment student now at Green Valley and Trace Crossings would find themselves going to a different school in August. Six apartment complexes now zoned for Trace Crossings would be rezoned for the new Riverchase Elementary, and other Trace Crossings apartment students would be split among Green Valley, Deer Valley and South Shades Crest. Trace Crossings would gain apartment students from Rocky Ridge and Green Valley. As a result, the percentage of apartment students at Trace Crossings would be expected to drop from 43 to 33 percent. At Green Valley, the existing apartment students would be divided among Gwin, Rocky Ridge, Shades Mountain and Trace Crossings. Green Valley would get a whole new crop of apartment students from Rocky Ridge and Trace Crossings. That would lower Green Valley's apartment percentage from 43 to 34 percent, school officials project. South Shades Crest would gain four apartment complexes from Trace Crossings, while Bluff Park would pick up the Ashford complex from Shades Mountain, and Deer Valley would take the Ridge Crossings complex from Trace Crossings. Shades Mountain would gain the Pinebrook Apartments in place of Ashford. Greystone's apartment situation would remain unchanged, with only students from Lake Heather attending there. Greystone is so far to the east that, logistically, adding more apartments doesn't make sense, said Gary McBay, the director of school services who designed the rezoning plan. At the middle school level, students at 10 apartment complexes would see changes, but those changes are not proposed to take effect until August 2005 when Spain Park Middle School is set to open. Five apartment complexes now zoned for Berry Middle would be rezoned for Spain Park Middle, while two complexes would move from Simmons Middle to Spain Park Middle. The plan also calls for the Pinebrook Apartments to be rezoned from Simmons to Berry. That would give Berry, Simmons and Spain Park middle schools each between 26 percent and 29 percent apartment students, McBay estimates. Bumpus Middle School would have an estimated 10 percent apartment students. At the high school level, three apartment complexes would be rezoned from Hoover High to Spain Park High, and two complexes would go from Spain Park to Hoover. Those changes would leave Spain Park High with 24 apartment complexes and 19 percent apartment students and Hoover High with 16 apartment complexes and 13 percent apartment students. Mixed reviews The shuffling of apartment students has gained praise from some parents and drawn criticism from others. Beth Hines, who will have a kindergartener at Rocky Ridge in August, said she's excited the school board is pursuing a more equitable distribution of apartment students. Rocky Ridge parent Andrew Baroody told the school board in January, that the high percentage of apartment dwellers at Rocky Ridgehas translated into a drop in standardized test scores and a remarkable decline in parental participation and financial support Rocky Ridge has the lowest test scores in the Hoover system. The school has gained more than 100 students in four years, but participation in the Parent Teacher Organization has dropped, Baroody said. Profits from the school's fall festival have declined from $11,727 in 1999 to $5,372 in 2003, according to records he provided. Profits from gift wrap sales fell from $10,994 to $7,574 in the same time. Marissa Rath, a Bluff Park parent whose fourth-grade daughter is set to be rezoned to Gwin, questioned the sense of uprooting the children of taxpaying home owners such as herself to accommodate children in apartments whose parents don't pay property taxes. Some apartment parents say the reshuffling doesn't do them any favors because they oppose the idea, too. Laura Crowley, a resident of The Reserve at Hampton Park, has a fifth-grader at Rocky Ridge, an eighth-grader at Berry and third child at Spain Park High. She said it's unfair for her youngest two children to spend a year at Berry and Spain Park High and then be moved to Simmons and Hoover High. The transition of a freshman year is difficult enough, but to make children go through that two years in a row is wrong, she said. Crowley also predicts that moving apartment students farther away from their community school will decrease the likelihood that those parents will get involved. Marchelle Milligan, a Ridge Crossings apartment resident with two children at Trace Crossings, said her family is moving to Chelsea, but if she were staying, she would be unhappy with the rezoning to Deer Valley. "I happen to like that school," she said of Trace Crossings. "I have a rapport with the teachers there. I'm active. I volunteer." |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:34pm CONTINUED from above: Other proposed zoning changes: The Hoover school system's proposed comprehensive rezoning plan includes numerous changes other than those affecting apartment complexes. Here's a quick summary of other proposals: Students in the Bluff Park Elementary zone who live south of Sulphur Springs Road would be rezoned to Gwin Elementary in August. The community behind Goody's off U.S. 31 would be rezoned from Gwin to Green Valley Elementary in August. A new school zone for Riverchase Elementary would be carved out of the Trace Crossings Elementary zone, including the Riverchase, Arbor Hills, Quail Run and Valley Station subdivisions. It would take effect in August. Students in the Greystone Elementary zone who live west of Spain Park High would be rezoned to Rocky Ridge Elementary in August. Students who live in the Greystone and Rocky Ridge elementary zones would be zoned for Spain Park Middle School when it opens in August 2005. Students who live in the Green Valley Elementary zone would be rezoned from Simmons Middle School to Berry Middle School and from Hoover High to Spain Park High in August 2005. Students who live in the Trace Crossings Elementary zone would be rezoned from Bumpus Middle School to Simmons in August 2005. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:35pm Birmingham News (AL) REZONING MAY DELAY SCHOOL BUILDING February 25, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H Illustration: A Newschart titled 'Results of school zone changes' accompanied this article. JON ANDERSON News staff writer The comprehensive redrawing of Hoover school attendance zones proposed last week should shift enough students to delay the need to build more schools, officials say. It could keep the school board from having to build a third high school or ninth-grade building at Hoover High for two to three years, said Gary McBay, the director of school services who designed the rezoning plan. Proposed changes also could delay the need to build a fifth middle school, he said. However, plans to open Riverchase Elementary in August and Spain Park Middle School in August 2005 have not changed. The school zone realignment proposal unveiled Thursday would touch every school in the system and directly affect about 1,500 students, McBay said. It redistributes apartment students more evenly among schools so that every Hoover school has at least one apartment complex in its zone, he said. Some students would have to go to a new school in August, while others could find themselves zoned for a different middle or high school in years to come. Here are some specific changes proposed in the plan: Students in the Bluff Park Elementary zone who live south of Sulphur Springs Road would be rezoned to Gwin Elementary, which is closer. Now, the Bluff Park zone extends south along Shades Crest Road to Alabama 150. The community behind Goody's off U.S. 31 would be rezoned from Gwin to Green Valley Elementary. A new school zone for Riverchase Elementary would be carved out of the Trace Crossings Elementary school zone. That new zone would include the Riverchase, Arbor Hills, Southlake, Quail Run and Valley Station subdivisions. Students in the Greystone Elementary zone who live west of Spain Park High School would be rezoned to Rocky Ridge Elementary to make room for growth at Greystone. At the middle school level: Students who live in the Greystone and Rocky Ridge elementary zones would be zoned for Spain Park Middle School once that school opens in August 2005. Students who live in the Green Valley Elementary zone would be rezoned from Simmons Middle School to Berry Middle School in August 2005. Students who live in the Trace Crossings Elementary zone would be rezoned from Bumpus Middle School to Simmons in August 2005. The middle school changes are designed to make room at Bumpus, which is in the highgrowth western part of Hoover. Officials hope to avoid overcrowding Bumpus and delay building a fifth middle school as long as possible, McBay said. Under the proposed plan, each middle school would have 600 to 700 students, except for Spain Park Middle, which would have 525 students. Each school would still have room to grow, McBay said. Berry, Simmons and Spain Park Middle each can hold 1,100 students, while Bumpus can hold 1,200, he said. At the high school level, the major change would be that students who live in the Green Valley Elementary zone would attend Spain Park High instead of Hoover High. That will help keep Hoover High from getting overcrowded and delay the need for a third high school or a ninth-grade building at Hoover High, McBay said. Hoover High has more than 2,000 students now and would see its enrollment drop to 1,850 students under this plan. The school can hold 2,200 without portable classrooms. Spain Park High's enrollment would jump from 1,300 now to 1,500. Spain Park High is designed for 1,700 students. Superintendent Jack Farr said he supports McBay's plan but hasn't made an official recommendation to the school board. He plans to have a recommendation ready in time for the board to act by its March 18 meeting. Farr said he will present the plan to the U.S. Department of Justice for review, as well as to university educators with experience in elementary and secondary education. School board President Joe Dean said the plan allows the school system to utilize its facilities more efficiently and effectively. It also moves students closer to their schools, fostering the concept of community schools. Pat Chumbley, a Greystone Elementary parent who led a protest against the rezoning of Greystone students to Rocky Ridge, said he was disappointed in the rezoning plan. He particularly was concerned that McBay's plan did not address whether existing students at Greystone would be allowed to finish their elementary years there. "I think that's a fair way to do it," Chumbley said. Farr said that hasn't been decided, but Dean said he doesn't favor the idea. Greystone parents affected by the change say they are concerned their children will suffer academically because of much lower standardized test scores at Rocky Ridge. Hoover school officials say Rocky Ridge will offer the Greystone students the same opportunities they now enjoy. "It's not necessarily going to turn out the way you want it to turn out," Farr told the near-full audience at last week's school board work session. "But hopefully we can do something that will be good for our kids. "This will still be the best place in Alabama to have your kids in school. Our educators are committed to that," Farr said. "You just aren't going to lose anything, whether you like the zoning plan or not." School officials will continue to look for ways to help new students coming from other systems whose performance is lower, Farr said. Summer programs are one possibility, he said. "If they get extra help, they're going to be just like you and me. You may not like that, but I like that," Farr said. "We're going to do what's right." Ken McLain, another Greystone parent whose child would be affected by the rezoning, said he'd rather see improvements made to schools like Rocky Ridge before his daughter and other students from higher-performing schools are sent there. Whatever decision the Hoover school board makes, "they need to do something pretty quick," McLain said. "People might want to move." |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:35pm Birmingham News (AL) PLAN REDRAWS ALL SCHOOL ZONE LINES CHANGES MAY AFFECT 1,500 STUDENTS February 20, 2004 Section: News Page: 1-C JON ANDERSON News staff writer Attendance zones for every school in the Hoover school system could be redrawn during the next two years under a plan unveiled Thursday night. Proposed changes would mean that about 1,500 of Hoover's 11,160 students would have to go to a school different from the one to which they're currently zoned, said Gary McBay, director of school services and architect of the plan. The comprehensive overhaul is designed to bring students closer to their schools and accommodate population shifts, growth and changes in Hoover's geography during the past 15 years, school board President Joe Dean said. The plan also would redistribute students from Hoover's closely grouped apartment complexes more evenly among schools, putting children from apartments in every school, McBay said. McBay recommended making the changes for elementary schools in August this year and for middle and high schools in August 2005 when Spain Park Middle School opens. Superintendent Jack Farr said he likes McBay's plan but has not made an official recommendation to the school board yet. He still plans to have the U.S. Justice Department and university educators review the plan. Farr said he expects to have a recommendation for the school board by its March 18 meeting. Farr said no decision has been made as to whether any students would be allowed to stay at their existing school. He earlier said he favored that option for students in north Shelby County set to be rezoned from Greystone Elementary to Rocky Ridge Elementary. Hundreds of parents in that area protested the potential rezoning and asked that students already at Greystone be allowed to stay there. Dean said he doesn't favor the idea of letting those Greystone students stay. "When you're dealing with a comprehensive realignment of zone lines in a system, it is best to make sure that the logic is not compromised by making incremental changes," Dean said. "The overarching concern of the board must be for the system as a whole and what is best for students in the system as a whole." Ken McLain, the parent of a Greystone third-grader set to be rezoned, said Thursday night he's not sure his daughter will have the same educational opportunities at Rocky Ridge as she has at Greystone. Greystone has much higher test scores, and the students feed off each other's success, McLain said. Dean said all Hoover schools are of high quality. "No student should ever miss an educational opportunity regardless of the school they attend," he said. The idea behind redistributing students from apartment complexes is to reduce the impact of more transient types of housing so that certain schools don't have a much higher percentage of students moving in and out, McBay said. For example, 66 percent of the students at Rocky Ridge Elementary come from apartments, while three Hoover schools have no students from apartments. Under the proposal, about 41 percent of Rocky Ridge students would come from apartments, and each Hoover school would have students from at least one apartment complex. Specific zone line changes proposed can be seen at the Hoover school board office. Gary McBay Architect of school zoning plan Jack Farr Superintendent likes plan, but hasn't officially recommended it to the school board |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:36pm Birmingham News (AL) ROCKY RIDGE PARENTS ASK FOR GREYSTONE REZONING January 23, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 3-C JON ANDERSON News staff writer Parents from Rocky Ridge Elementary pleaded with the Hoover school board Thursday night to proceed with plans to rezone several north Shelby County neighborhoods from Greystone Elementary to Rocky Ridge. Greystone parents came to a Hoover school board meeting last month to protest the potential rezoning, saying Rocky Ridge was an "inferior school, based on test scores." But Thursday, Rocky Ridge parents presented their arguments for going ahead with the rezoning and a petition said to have close to 500 signatures from people in the Rocky Ridge attendance zone. Andrew Baroody, a spokesman for Rocky Ridge parents, said rezoning the neighborhoods would add a lot of students from single-family houses to Rocky Ridge and balance the high concentration of apartment students there. About 67 percent of the students at Rocky Ridge come from apartments, and the transient nature of apartment dwellers has translated into a drop in test scores and a remarkable decline in parental participation and financial support, Baroody said. "This puts an incredible burden on the school," he said. "Without some changes at Rocky Ridge, the quality of our children's education could be in jeopardy." Hoover school officials are considering the rezoning because Greystone Elementary is growing and could become overcrowded. Affected communities are off Valleydale and Caldwell Mill Roads to the west of Spain Park High School, said Gary McBay, director of school services. They include Audubon Forest, The Highlands, Linwood, Indian Valley, Brookhaven, Marwood and Heatherwood, Superintendent Jack Farr said. Greystone parents said others, such as River Highlands, Oak Glen, Sandpiper and Heatherwood Forest, could be affected, too. Farr told the school board during a retreat two weeks ago that it may want to consider allowing current students at Greystone to remain there and only rezone new students in the area to Rocky Ridge. "I think we can get this done over time," Farr said. However, Farr has not made an official recommendation to the board and is still seeking input from all parties. Baroody said Rocky Ridge parents want the school board to rezone all students in the area in question to Rocky Ridge next year and not allow any "grandfathering" to occur at Greystone. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 5:37pm Birmingham News (AL) SCHOOLS WANT TO EVEN RATIO OF PUPILS FROM APARTMENTS January 21, 2004 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H Illustration: A Newschart titled 'Apartment shuffle' accompanied this article. JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover school leaders are formulating a plan to redraw school zone lines to more evenly distribute apartment complexes among schools. Some schools have a heavy concentration of apartment students, while others have none. Rocky Ridge Elementary is "way out of balance," Superintendent Jack Farr said. As of May, 67 percent of the students there - or 350 of 522 - lived in apartments, school system records show. Other schools with higher than desired percentages of apartment students included Green Valley at 42.9 percent, Trace Crossings at 39 percent and Shades Mountain at 37.1 percent, Farr said. On the other end of the spectrum, Greystone Elementary has only one apartment complex - Lake Heather Reserve - in its zone. That meant only 30 of Greystone's 709 students last spring, or 4.2 percent, came from apartments. Three Hoover schools - Bluff Park, Deer Valley and South Shades Crest elementaries - have no apartment complexes in their zones. Hoover school officials say the problem isn't the apartment students themselves; it's the tendency of apartment students to be more transient than students from houses. Having a large percentage of students coming and going from a particular classroom or school throughout the year presents a problem, Farr said. Teachers have to adjust curriculum for children coming into the classroom in the middle of the year, he said. Some students are behind, while others are ahead. Rocky Ridge Principal Sonia Carrington said it's a challenge, but her teachers are up to the task. They're well-trained in how to teach students at various skill levels anyway, she said. In August, Rocky Ridge started a program to speed the evaluation of new students to see where they are in regard to curriculum, Carrington said. The program has been successful, she said, but the transition for new students still can be difficult for the children, especially if they're behind in the curriculum. Debbie Pitts, a third-grade teacher at Rocky Ridge, said it's particularly difficult when children arrive in the spring. Teachers don't have much time to integrate the child's prior instruction with their own, she said. Last year, Pitts had three students arrive in March. They took the Stanford Achievement Test in April. She and Rocky Ridge will be judged partly on those students' performance, even though the test is more reflective of what they learned at another school, she said. "The public doesn't see that," Pitts said. What the public sees is the cumulative test scores for a grade at a school. Rocky Ridge has the lowest average SAT scores of any school in the Hoover system. Pitts, however, doesn't like people to make generalizations that apartment students are weak academically because that's not true, she said. Adjusting to a new school in the middle of the year is hard for most children, whether they live in an apartment or a house, Pitts said. It's just that apartment students are more likely to move in the middle of the year, she said. Building community Having a large concentration of apartment students at one school also affects parental involvement, Pitts said. Rocky Ridge has a strong Parent Teacher Organization, but getting volunteers is tougher with a transient school population, Pitts said. It sometimes takes time for parents to learn how to get involved, she said. Fund-raising, which is essen tial in Alabama schools, also is affected, Pitts said. Parents who are not part of a community for a long period of time don't feel the same connection to the school and the need to support its fund-raisers, she said. Pitts and Carrington would like to see apartment residents redistributed more equitably among schools. Fifth-grade teacher Holly Sutherland said Rocky Ridge teachers will do whatever it takes to help students achieve goals and high expectations. "We take whatever children come through our door. It doesn't matter to us," Sutherland said. "I'm just here to educate kids." Farr said the rezoning of apartment complexes will help apartment students, too. Gary McBay, Hoover's director of school services, said an elementary school made up entirely of apartment students could put those students at a disadvantage because of the higher turnover rate. "We want our students that come from apartments to have the same advantages as any other students in Hoover," McBay said. More research McBay has started a more indepth review of apartment students and their turnover rates. "We strongly suspect that most kids in apartments don't stay at the same school for a lengthy period of time," he said. School officials now know how many new students enter a school and how many students leave each year, but they want to better quantify what happens with individual students, he said. "We're going to take every single apartment student, and we're going to track those students and see when they came in the system and when they left," McBay said. The study will cover the past four years because that's as far back as current computer software will allow, he said. Farr already is recommending the Hoover school board rezone six apartment complexes from Trace Crossings to the new Riverchase Elementary. But McBay said he doesn't expect the percentage of apartment students at Trace Crossings to drop much because students from houses also would move to Riverchase. Plus, planning consultant Bob House is projecting that Ridge Crossings Apartments could add 240 units in 2004, bringing more students to Trace Crossings, McBay said. Riverchase likely would be about 35 percent apartment students, McBay estimated. Some apartment complexes now zoned for Rocky Ridge for the 2004-05 school year may be shifted, but it could be the following year before more comprehensive changes involving other schools are made, Farr said. There's the potential for all Hoover city schools to have some apartment students, even if no new apartments are built, McBay said. Students from the Colonial Grand at the Galleria apartment complex off Lorna Road load onto a bus headed for Rocky Ridge Elementary. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 6:24pm Birmingham News (AL) GREYSTONE REZONING ISSUE DRAWS CROWD ROCKY RIDGE PARENTS RESPOND TO CONCERNS OVER SCHOOL QUALITY December 17, 2003 Section: News Page: 1-C JON ANDERSON News staff writer About 150 parents and teachers from Greystone and Rocky Ridge elementary schools packed the Hoover school board chambers Tuesday afternoon concerning the potential redrawing of school zone lines. A throng of parents from Hoover neighborhoods in Shelby County came to say they don't want their children rezoned from Greystone to Rocky Ridge. Pat Chumbley, a Greystone parent who lives in The Highlands subdivision near Interstate 65 and Valleydale Road, presented the school board with a petition he said had more than 250 signatures op posing such a rezoning. But parents and teachers from Rocky Ridge came out in force as well, upset over Chumbley's remarks in Tuesday's edition of The Birmingham News that Rocky Ridge was an "inferior school, based on test scores." The Rocky Ridge supporters, who made up at least half the crowd, wore purple ribbons bearing the school's name. Many said they were offended by Chumbley's remark and defended the quality of their school. Hoover schools Superintendent Jack Farr told the standing-room only crowd, which spilled into the hallway, that school officials are considering redrawing school zone lines but no recommendations have been made. Two new Hoover schools are expected to open in Shelby County in the next two years, and Greystone Elementary is growing at such a rate that its zone may need redrawing anyway, school officials have said. Affected communities whose children attend Greystone include Audubon Forest, The Highlands, Linwood, Indian Valley, Brookhaven, Marwood and Heatherwood, Farr said. Greystone parents said others, such as River Highlands, Oak Glen, Sandpiper and Heatherwood Forest, could be affected, too. Chumbley asked the school board to delay any rezoning for Greystone for five years to give the board time to make improvements at Rocky Ridge. Greystone parents have serious concerns about the quality of education being offered at Rocky Ridge, Chumbley said. Greystone students had an average score of 81 on the Stanford Achievement Test, according to results released by the state this year. That was the highest among Hoover's elementary schools and among the highest in the metro area. By contrast, students at Rocky Ridge had an average score of 59, the lowest among Hoover elementary schools. In 2001-02, 71 percent of Greystone students met or exceeded the academic content standards of the fifth-grade writing exam, while only 52 percent of Rocky Ridge students achieved that level of performance, Chumbley said. Again, Rocky Ridge was lowest among Hoover schools, he said. "The report cards for the two schools show Greystone has greater access to technology and has a higher percentage of teachers with advanced degrees, a disparity that we believe the board could have corrected by now," he said. "Despite the significantly lower performance of Rocky Ridge students over the last several years, the board staff has not been able to offer any satisfactory explanation of what has been done to improve the scores at Rocky Ridge," Chumbley said. Chumbley also said moving Greystone students to Rocky Ridge would be traumatic on the children and hurt property values by as much as 10 percent. "Greystone is different and special, and the residents of our neighborhoods have helped make it that way," Chumbley said. He said the incoming president of the parent-teacher organization is from the area being considered for rezoning. He urged the school board not to treat Greystone children like "pushpins on a planning map." Defending Rocky Ridge Shari Johnson, a parent at Rocky Ridge for 10 years, said that unfortunately she can't argue with the test scores, but she was greatly offended by what she considered an insult to the school. "We have an excellent staff at our school - very qualified teachers," Johnson said. Some of the students at Rocky Ridge come from a lower socio-economic background and may be starting their education at a different level, some Rocky Ridge parents said. Johnson said if she were a Greystone parent, she probably would be arguing against rezoning, too. Rocky Ridge has a higher student turnover rate than most Hoover schools because so many live in apartments. The school system needs to better educate parents how to get more involved, but Rocky Ridge is a great school that's been remodeled and has all kinds of computers and resources for kids, she said. Rocky Ridge kindergarten teacher Maria Brandt said teachers and parents came out in force Tuesday to stand up for themselves. "We just don't feel our school is inferior whatsoever," Brandt said. "We feel that we're one of the best." School board President Joe Dean said the board would consider all viewpoints and try to make a decision that's in the best interest of the school system as a whole, not just individual groups. "We're not interested in anything but the best for all of our citizens and all of our students," Dean said. A plan to redraw Hoover elementary school zone lines drew a crowd Tuesday. Some Shelby County parents don't want their children rezoned from Greystone to Rocky Ridge. Some from Rocky Ridge came to show support for their school., "Greystone is different and special, and the residents of our neighborhoods have helped make it that way." Pat Chumbley Greystone parent opposing rezoning |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 6:25pm Birmingham News (AL) GREYSTONE PARENTS OPPOSE REZONING CHANGE COULD SEND STUDENTS TO ROCKY RIDGE December 16, 2003 Section: News Page: 1-B JON ANDERSON News staff writer Parents from several Hoover neighborhoods in Shelby County are objecting to the potential rezoning of their children from Greystone Elementary School to Rocky Ridge Elementary. They plan to voice their objections this afternoon to the Hoover Board of Education and deliver a petition with about 180 names. Pat Chumbley, a Greystone parent who lives in The High lands subdivision near Valleydale Road and Interstate 65, said neighborhoods such as The Highlands, Sandpiper Trail, River Highlands, Oak Glen and Audubon Forest are in jeopardy of being rezoned. "We are opposed to that," Chumbley said. "Rocky Ridge is an inferior school, based on test scores." Stanford Achievement Test scores released this year show Greystone with an average score of 81, the highest among Hoover's nine elementary schools and among the highest in the Birmingham-Hoover metro area. Comparatively, students at Rocky Ridge had an average score of 59, the lowest among Hoover elementary schools. Hoover school system administrators stressed that no rezoning decisions - or even recommendations - have been made, but they are studying various options. Elementary school zone lines are being reviewed because of plans to open two new Hoover schools, Riverchase Elementary in August 2004 and Spain Park Middle School in August 2005, said Gary McBay, Hoover's director of school services. Greystone Elementary's zone lines also are being studied because of expected growth and the potential for crowding, McBay said. A $1.2 million classroom addition in 2002 increased the school's capacity to 850 students, but growth already has pushed enrollment to more than 700. Growth in the Greystone subdivision is expected to continue, so officials do expect zone line changes, McBay said. The logical place to start is the farthest point from the school, he said. However, McBay said he's not yet ready to release details of what is being considered. "We have no proposal, no plan at this point," he said. "It's a work in progress." McBay said he hopes to have a recommendation for the school board by late January or early February. He will share it with parents as well. Chumbley said some parents are concerned that officials will have made up their minds by that time, but McBay said that's not the case. Some of the Greystone parents already have toured Rocky Ridge. Sonia Carrington, the principal there, defended the quality of her school. "We are definitely not an inferior school," Carrington said. "The teachers are extremely dynamic - the most dynamic I have ever been associated with as a group, and I have been in education over 20 years and worked in several school systems." Carrington worked two years as a teacher at Greystone when it opened in 1995. "We have opportunities for children just like every other school in Hoover city schools," she said. "The lessons are engaging. They challenge the children, and they motivate the children." The school board meets today at 4 p.m. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 6:28pm From THE YEAR IN REVIEW, December 31, 2003: 9. Booming enrollment in Hoover schools. Hoover schools gained nearly 450 students this school year, pushing enrollment above 11,000 for the first time. On the day after Labor Day, Hoover's annual attendance benchmark, there were 11,141 students in 15 schools, a 4 percent increase from 10,699 students at the same time in 2002. Growth is not expected to stop, but it should slow down, school leaders say. They predict Hoover schools will gain an average of 220 students per year for the next four years, compared to averaging 435 more students a year the past four years. To make room for them all, construction of new schools is essential. Workers began building Riverchase Elementary midway through 2003 and expect to complete it in time to open for students in August 2004. Greystone Elementary parents put pressure on school officials to speed up the opening of a middle school at Spain Park. Superintendent Jack Farr in May laid out a timeline that has the school opening in August 2005. The school board chose an architect in September. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 6:31pm Birmingham News (AL) MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAN OK'D AS INVERNESS NEIGHBORS OBJECT December 17, 2003 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H Illustration: A Newsgraphic titled 'New middle school' accompanied this article. TROY GOODMAN News staff writer When the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission last week gave the city schools administration a key approval on building a fourth middle school, it represented the culmination of more than three years worth of school planning, budgeting and engineering work. The approval dealt a blow, though, to Inverness homeowners near the proposed school site who now claim Hoover City Schools have pushed the proposed middle school too close to their property lines, potentially ruining the wooded charm of their neighborhood. Planning commission members disagreed and voted unanimously to approve the school system's conditional-use request to build Spain Park Middle School on a 30-acre site just north of Spain Park High School. Both schools are designed to better serve families living in the Inverness and Greystone neighborhoods off U.S. 280. The Spain Park school complex is near the northeast corner of Caldwell Mill and Valleydale roads. "We took the very preliminary plans and we shared that with them," Director of School Services Gary McBay said of the negotiations with homeowners. The dispute boiled down to the residents wanting McBay and other officials to widen a 150-foot tree and hill buffer now planned between the school and the homes. Wider buffer wanted The residents have insisted for months the buffer should be widened to 270 feet or more to leave a natural tree-covered hill that now shields the homes from the building site. The proposed three-story 150,000-square-foot middle school is positioned on the eastern section of the 30 acres, closest to the back yards of homes on Berkeley Drive. "We are just perplexed by the fact that they've got 30 acres of land and they have chosen to put a middle school right next to these homes," said Noel Chambless, president of the Inverness Master Homeowners Association. After last week's Planning and Zoning Commission approval of the school location, Chambless and a half dozen other residents along Berkeley Drive said they were shocked at the decision. "This is people's lives and neighborhoods and they don't seem to get it," Chambless said of the unanimous vote. A public hearing on the middle school site will be held before the Hoover City Council on Monday, Jan. 5. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Center. Plans call for the school construction to begin next year; Spain Park Middle School could be open by mid-2005, McBay said. Hoover schools Superintendent Jack Farr has recommended that the new middle school start with just sixth and seventh grades so that eighthgraders won't have to be pulled from other schools. Farr said more meetings with school administrators and parents would be needed to make a final decision. As Hoover has expanded its city limits eastward through Inverness and Greystone, Farr said the school system has shown its commitment to serve still-growing areas. Greystone Elementary opened in 1995 and now has more than 700 students. Spain Park High School opened in 2001 and now has more than 1,300 students. Positioning suggested Chambless said he understands Hoover's need to build new schools and said most Inverness residents have no problem with putting a middle school at the proposed 30-acre site. They just want McBay to look at other alternatives for positioning the building on the parcel so the impact to homes is minimized. Residents suggested shoving the school building closer to the center of the land and reorganizing the parking and sports fields to accommodate the changes. In response, school of ficials have said moving the building is not workable since the Spain Park Middle School land slopes off into a huge pit on the western side, making it necessary to grade and pour foundation on the eastern portion. Tennis courts, more parking and a stadium are planned for the western half of the land, but those will have to wait for future construction budgets, perhaps in 2007 or beyond, school officials said. McBay insisted he sympathizes with the homeowners who oppose his plan since he would probably want to fight a similar development near his home. Yet schools improve the overall living conditions in cities and so concessions must be made in the name of progress, he said. Another bone of contention: the majority of homes that back up to the middle school site are in unincorporated Shelby County, not Hoover city limits. School administrators insist they have already taken all the residents' concerns to heart by widening the tree and hill buffer from an initial plan of 80 feet to the current 150 feet. Hoover's building and zoning rules only require a 35-foot buffer between a school and a residential community. In another concession, McBay agreed to replace 30-foot light poles with 20-foot poles on the eastern side of the school and limit the use of lights on the sports fields to 10:30 p.m. at the latest. Chambless said a threestory school building is so huge, installing shorter light poles and widening the buffer from 80 feet to 150 feet will do little to mitigate the negative impact the school will have on back yards and view lines from homes. "They could do a 35-foot buffer, but they came in with an 80-foot buffer and now they've made it a 150-foot buffer that is still not enough," Chambless said. "It sort of like saying we'll give you a glove to go on the hand that the lion has bit off." |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 6:33pm Birmingham News (AL) FARR EYES 6TH, 7TH GRADES FOR SCHOOL October 29, 2003 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H JON ANDERSON News staff writer The new Spain Park Middle School scheduled to open in August 2005 likely will start with just sixth and seventh grades, Hoover schools Superintendent Jack Farr said. A final decision has not been made, but Farr said that's likely what he will recommend. It's probably not fair to Berry Middle School to pull all the eighth-graders out of Berry all of the sudden, Farr told the Hoover Board of Education. School system leaders need more feedback from the community concerning that issue, Farr said. Spain Park Middle School, which will be Hoover's fourth middle school, is now being designed by Harold Foshee Architects. The plan is to build a school that contains about 150,000 square feet to accommodate up to 1,000 students, Farr said. However, there will be land available to add classroom space for 200 to 300 more students if needed, he said. Common areas of the school, such as the cafeteria and gymnasium, will be built large enough to handle future expansion, Farr said. School zone changes The target enrollment at opening still has not been decided, he said. That will depend on how many grades there are and the new school zone lines that must be drawn, he said. Some communities, such as Greystone and Mill Springs, obviously will fall in the Spain Park Middle zone because of nearness, Farr said. Others are less Spain obvious. School board President Joe Dean recommended decisions about zone lines be made as early as possible to reduce anxiety among parents and students. Farr said he understands that need but doesn't want to draw zone lines too early and then have to change them as a result of unrealized expectations concerning growth in that part of the city. He typically likes to wait to recommend zone lines until well into the school year before a new school opens, he said. He might have a recommendation for zone lines for Spain Park Middle by some time in the fall of next year, he said. School board member Robert Bumpus, the former superintendent for Hoover schools, said there will always be someone who won't be happy with the decision. Location of the school Spain Park Middle will be built on land just north of Spain Park High's athletic complex, off the entrance road that leads to Caldwell Mill Road. Five houses back up to the middle school site, but Hoover zoning regulations require at least 35 feet of undisturbed buffer between the school and residential property, Farr said. Gary McBay, the Hoover school employee who oversees construction, already has been in contact with nearby residents, Farr said. The school system will try to keep the greatest distance possible from nearby residents, which is good for the school and residents, he said. Farr said he has received no complaints from nearby residents concerning the high school since it opened. School officials installed football stadium lighting that points downward to minimize glare for neighbors, he said. No carbon copy The middle school will be similar to the high school, but it won't be a copy, Farr said. The front part of the school containing classrooms likely will be three stories. It will be a brick building with more of a traditional look than modern, he said. School officials have preliminary sketches showing location of the school on the Spain Park property, but final drawings have not been completed, McBay said. The middle school will share some athletic facilities and parking with the high school, such as the competition football field, Farr said. The middle school practice field will be built in a way that it could be modified to accommodate games if the two schools' schedules conflict, he said. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 6:35pm Birmingham News (AL) SCHOOLS GAIN 450 PUPILS OVER 2002 September 10, 2003 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H Illustration: Newscharts titled 'Hoover schools enrollment', 'They come by the hundreds', and 'A decade of growth' accompanied this article. JON ANDERSON News staff writer Hoover city schools have gained nearly 450 more students than at this time last year, pushing enrollment to almost 11,150. The official count on the day after Labor Day - Hoover's primary benchmark from year to year - was 11,141 students, a 4 percent increase from 10,699 students a year ago. That's just above school officials' projection for this year, which was 11,119 students. "We were real pleased with the projections this year, about as good as you can hope," Assistant Superintendent Connie Williams said. The day after Labor Day is used as a benchmark because some students don't show up until then. Hoover schools have gained 260 students since the first day of school on Aug. 13, records show. Over the past 10 years, the school system has added more than 4,000 students, nearly a 60 percent increase since 1993. Growth is not expected to stop, but school officials predict it will slow down. They project Hoover schools will gain 878 students over the next four years, pushing enrollment to just more than 12,000 by 2007. That's only about 220 students per year, compared to an average of 435 more students a year over the past four years. The biggest gains this year are at Spain Park High School, which added its first senior class. Spain Park's enrollment grew 33 percent from 971 students to 1,293. Hoover below 2,000 Conversely, Hoover High School had the biggest drop in students, from 2,144 to 1,972. That was welcome news to those who thought Hoover would never drop below 2,000 students. "I was betting it was not going to get there," said Williams, a former principal at Hoover High. "I'm glad to be wrong on that one." Current Hoover High Principal Gene Godwin said they're enjoying the drop in students while they can. "This is supposed to be our smallest year, and then we gradually start climbing back up," Godwin said. Many homes are being built in subdivisions such as Trace Crossings and the Preserve. "That's a lot of families that are going to be in there and they're all going to be zoned for Hoover," Godwin said. The school with the second largest increase in students was Berry Middle School, which gained 67 students from 1,011 to 1,078. Williams said the ideal size for a middle school probably would be 700 to 750 students. The opening of a fourth middle school at Spain Park, set for 2005, should improve the situation at Berry, she said. Bumpus Middle School gained only 12 students this year, pushing enrollment to 770, while Simmons Middle added 11 students for a total of 824. Green Valley growth The elementary school with the biggest increase this year is Green Valley, where enrollment grew by 59 students from 479 to 538. That's 38 more students than were expected, the largest increase over projections for any Hoover school. "It's hard for us to predict schools with a relatively high percentage of apartments," Williams said. To accommodate the extra students, Green Valley created a sixth kindergarten class eight days after school started to lower student-teacher ratios, Principal Linda Campanotta said. There now is one teacher for every 16 kindergartners, records show. "The biggest thing is just running out of space," she said. Campanotta had to turn a science lab into a regular classroom and have teachers check out science materials without getting the benefit of the lab, she said. "Other than that, it's gone real well," she said. Trace over 1,000 Williams said Trace Crossings Elementary has a challenge with space. Trace Crossings added 50 students this year, boosting its enrollment to 1,005, and also had to add a kindergarten teacher after school started, Williams said. That problem, however, should be solved next year with the opening of Riverchase Elementary, which should take about half of Trace Crossings' students, Williams said. That should make Greystone Hoover's largest elementary school. Greystone gained 43 students this year for a total of 699, but has some room to grow because of a 15,590-square-foot addition last year. Deer Valley Elementary added 33 students this year, increasing enrollment to 529, while Rocky Ridge Elementary gained 30 for a total of 523. Shades Mountain Elementary added four students, keeping it Hoover's smallest elementary school with 321 students. Three elementary schools lost students. Gwin's enrollment dropped by 18 to 477, while South Shades Crest's enrollment fell by 13 to 499 and Bluff Park lost nine students, for a total of 529. The Crossroads alternative school, which draws students from middle and high schools, had 84 students the day after Labor Day, compared to 61 a year ago. RIGHT: Green Valley Elementary School kindergarten teacher Rena Roper and other teachers keep students in line while they wait in the gym to be picked up after school. Green Valley gained 59 students this year, 38 more than projected and more than any other elementary school in Hoover. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 6:39pm Birmingham News (AL) FARR SETS SPAIN PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL TIMELINE May 28, 2003 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H JON ANDERSON News staff writer The wheels have started turning for a middle school at Spain Park. Hoover schools Superintendent Jack Farr last week recommended that the Hoover school board pick an architect at its next meeting, June 24, to design a fourth middle school. Farr laid out a projected timeline for construction that would have the school opening in August 2005. That's welcome news for many parents at Greystone El ementary, who have lobbied school officials to get moving on the school. Greystone parents say they don't like the idea of sending their middle school children as far as 14 miles across town to Berry Middle School on congested U.S. 280 and two interstates. They have complained that the middle school construction date seemed to keep getting pushed back. School officials have said the growth on the eastern side of town simply hasn't been as great as earlier projected, and the number of middle school students hasn't been enough to justify another school. Farr has said, however, that the school system will build a middle school at Spain Park before it's needed. They don't want to wait too late and end up with portable classrooms somewhere, he said. Rick Neathammer, a leader among parents pushing for the school, said parents are pleased to see the school opening slated for 2005. "The sooner we get it built, the happier everybody will be," Neathammer said. "If it happened much later, our kids would miss it." The projected planning and construction schedule Farr laid out last week would have the board select an architect and a civil engineer in June. A schematic design would be done by August. A construction crew would mobilize in late January, begin site clearing and grading in February, start building in April and complete the school in June 2005. Spain "It's a reasonable schedule, unless we have more rain than we're having now," he said. Exactly who would go to the school is still uncertain. Farr said he would rather wait to establish zone lines until probably the middle of the second year of construction. By waiting, they'll get a more accurate picture of where the growth is and where better to draw the lines, he said. "I'd rather do the zoning in a year and a half when the num bers are a little larger," Farr said. "As we look at it right now, we might have to stretch to get what we would like to start the school with. "Certainly zoning is something that's based on common sense," Farr said. "If you live within two miles, you know you'll be zoned there." For those farther out, a decision will have to be made whether to send them to Spain Park or to Berry, he said. School officials also will wait to decide whether to start Spain Park Middle School with just a sixth grade, a sixth and seventh grade, or a sixth, seventh and eighth grade, Farr said. "We'll listen to parents," he said. "We'll talk through all those things and listen to what everyone has to say, and I'll make a decision and make a recommendation." Farr said school officials and parents may not always have the same thoughts, but they all have the same goal. "They want to find the best way to do this to make the transition the best it can be," he said. Farr said some of the parents don't think school system administrators are committed to getting the middle school built, but "the commitment has been there a long time." Sometimes projections don't turn out to be reality, he said. If the new projection does, his original projection for opening the school may end up being off by just one year, he said. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 6:40pm Birmingham News (AL) BE CAREFUL WITH HOOVER SCHOOL SYSTEM May 7, 2003 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 1-H Peggy Sanford Hoover's school system, probably as much as any one aspect of life in the city, is the carrot that continues to lure residents in. Standardized test scores for 2002 again affirmed that Hoover students, overall, are performing at the top levels in the state. At a time when (once again in Alabama) a crisis in state funding has most school systems looking for ways to cut staff and programs to stay afloat, Hoover is spending millions on construction and renovations. It is preparing a site off Old Montgomery Highway to build the city's 10th elementary school, a $12 million project. The school system also is spending close to $1 million to renovate Shades Mountain Elementary; $986,218 to renovate the stadium at Berry Middle and $496,000 for roofing work at four schools. The system also stands ready to spend about $1.77 million to rearrange the softball and football fields at Simmons Middle to make room for a regulation size football field and track. A concession stand and restrooms also are to be added there. That project can take off as soon as school officials figure out how to provide almost 300 more parking spaces at Simmons. Those are some of the system's current building projects. Obviously, Hoover school officials are feeling comfortable with finances. Despite all that, the projection that enrollment for the next school year could grow by 300 to 500 pupils and top 11,000 can send a chill down a parent's back. That growth comes without one house built in the planned Ross Creek development in Shades Valley; with but a few homes built in The Preserve subdivision and with growth still flourishing in new sectors of Trace Crossings. Parents at Greystone Elementary are clamoring for a middle school on their side of town. The school board has land for it at Spain Park, but no commitment for when it will be built. The need for a third high school in Hoover is a given. The questions are how soon and how big? Will a third high school be another behemoth like Hoover and Spain Park high schools? If the city continues to add new territory and grow at its current rate, how can school officials avoid building another huge high school, even though there's research to suggest students perform better in small schools? At what point does large become unwieldy and begin taxing the schools' ability to keep class sizes low and instructional quality high? Hoover's school system is too valuable of an asset to overload. Surely the city's political leaders haven't lost sight of that. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 6:42pm Birmingham News (AL) MAZUR QUESTIONS IF PEARS PROMISED NEW SCHOOL March 26, 2003 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 2-H ERIC VELASCO News staff writer Hoover Councilwoman Donna Mazur suggested last week that a school board member has courted support for reappointment by promising a middle school at Spain Park. The accusation is the latest twist leading to an April 7 City Council vote on who should serve a five-year term on the school board in the seat now held by Robert Pears. In late February, Council President Bob Austin announced that the council would appoint former school superintendent Robert Bumpus to Pears' seat. Departing from standard procedure, Austin said at the time that the council would not seek applications for the appointment. After complaints by several residents and council members, however, Austin agreed to open the application process. Pears, who has lobbied hard for reappointment, is one of three appli cants for the seat. Bumpus already has been interviewed by the council's two school-board liaisons, Austin and Mazur. Pears and the third applicant, Charles Hickman, will be interviewed Thursday. Although there is no official cutoff to apply, Austin said he believes everyone who is interested has submitted resumes. "I can't believe anyone who is serious about it would apply this late," he said. At the March 17 meeting, resident John Whitaker questioned the potential appointment of Bumpus, making indirect references to his belief that Pears is more qualified than Bumpus. "Were you told by Mr. Pears that if he is reappointed there would be a new middle school at Spain Park?" Mazur asked Whitaker, referring to a burning issue among many Greystone parents. Greystone now is in the district for Berry Middle School in north central Hoover. "I'm offended that you would suggest a sweetheart deal," the Riverchase resident replied. "That is what I've been told," Mazur said. Pears denied linking his reappointment to getting the middle school approved. "I have not made a promise to anyone about anything," he said, noting that school officials already have announced they are moving forward with the Spain Park middle school and probably will announce con struction details in April. "I support Spain Park Middle School," Pears said. "I believe the school board will move forward with the issue. If we can have students in that school by August of 2005, that would be a good target date." Mazur said last week she had repeated at the council meeting what she had been told by several sources. "That's the only reason I asked that question," Mazur said. "I've heard that from everyone. I wanted to clear the air and ask him." |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/06/08 at 6:43pm Birmingham News (AL) CITY TO BREAK GROUND SOON ON 10TH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL February 26, 2003 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 4-H JON ANDERSON News staff writer The Hoover Board of Education should break ground in Riverchase by spring for its 10th elementary school, officials said. Also, a timeline to build a fourth middle school at Spain Park should be established by the end of this school year, Superintendent Jack Farr said. The school board hopes to award bids for grading work at the 20-acre Riverchase Elementary site off Old Montgomery Highway in late March or April, said Gary McBay, who oversees construction for Hoover schools. Building construction should begin by June, he said. The targeted opening date is August 2004. The school will be larger than originally expected, pushing up the price, McBay said. Officials had anticipated Riverchase Elementary would be 85,000 to 95,000 square feet based on early estimates, but new drawings put the school at about 100,000 square feet, McBay said. The numbers probably are different because early projections were based on elementary schools with different designs, McBay said. Changes in design often require a change in the square footage for common areas, such as hallways or restrooms, he said. The architect and construction management firm estimated construction cost at about $11.9 million, up nearly $2 million from original estimates of $10 million, Farr said. The new projections, however, have some cushion built in and are high, he said. Spain Park Middle Meanwhile, parents at Greystone Elementary continue to push for construction of a middle school at Spain Park. They have complained that the projected construction date seems to keep getting pushed back. Farr told the school board recently that growth on the eastern side of Hoover simply hasn't been as great as projected. There haven't been enough students there to build a fourth middle school yet, he said. However, "we're going to build that school before we need it. That's the bottom line," Farr said. School board member Robert Pears said he'd like to have the middle school built soon and questioned why school officials couldn't go ahead and hire an architect to design it. Farr said it would cost more money to design the school far in advance of construction. He said he would rather wait until a construction timeline is established, and he should have a timeline by April or May. Once the process is started, it will take two years until the school is ready to open, Farr said. Right now, school system employees are working diligently to determine the best way to draw school zone lines and whether to open the school in stages, Farr said. They have to decide whether the school should open with all three grades, a sixth and seventh grade or just a sixth grade, Farr said. "I'm not real sure it makes a lot of sense to pull eighth-graders and do harm to extra-curricular programs," he said. "We don't want to do harm to existing middle schools." Farr said he hopes everyone understands that school administrators haven't forgotten about a Spain Park middle school and haven't been dragging their feet. "When you make projections, sometimes projections don't come exactly as we project them," he said. The school system has shown its commitment to students on that side of town, Farr said. Greystone Elementary was opened with less than 200 students, and the school board already has the land for the middle school at Spain Park, he said. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by begood on 02/06/08 at 9:56pm HSCIN wrote:
Let me clarify.....it wasn't just the Green Valley folks that Green Valley got a seat at the table for. It was the ENTIRE COMMUNITY that got a say. Green Valley folks worked to get the Community Planning Process (outlined at this link: http://www.hscin.org/RezoningProcessPresentation.pdf ) in place for the ENTIRE COMMUNITY to participate in. The ENTIRE COMMUNITY was given the opportunity to participate in focus groups to develop the values that the telephone surveys (again....the ENTIRE COMMUNITY had an opportunity to participate, not just Green Valley folks) then rated for importance and put on paper to have the Community Planning Team (again...the ENTIRE COMMUNITY had an opportunity to participate on the Community Planning Team) judge the different scenarios by to see how well they fit with the ENTIRE COMMUNITY'S value judgements about education. So yes, that IS what's best for the ENTIRE COMMUNITY. One group didn't decide. You're skipping steps here, begood. You're reading the parts you want to read. Thanks for the slap in the face. Self-serving. 'Preciate it.[/quote] Please don't be so sensitive. I read all parts and I still think that although a compromise was reached it all first served the interest of GV - not to be rezoned. And BTW, for whatever reason, the process did not represent the entire community...there were many parts (i.e., GS) that were not represented. I'm not saying it would have turned out any differently, but it may have. Again, I do not live in GS so this is just an observation. It all worked out fine, in the short run, and now we face the chaos again. What, in your knowledgable opinion, do you think would have been the outcome if GM's first plan had been followed? |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by commonsense on 02/06/08 at 10:19pm Begood The information is right in front of you. The entire community was represented. Everyone had the opportunity to put their hat in the ring. The reason the Greystone community didn't have "representation"; they were the only one in a school system that had 10 elementary schools at the time, was because this didn't affect them at that time. Why would they need representation? I laugh at the Greystone community not having "representation". They basically have a private elementary school, a BRAND NEW middle school and high school and they complain about not being represented?? The GV, Bluff Park and Gwin communities chose to live where they live because of the stability. Many could live in new neighborhoods, more affluent neighborhoods, etc. but they chose not to because of the neighborhood and sense of community. Bottom line is we all live in Hoover. It is growing. Our schools are one of the main attractions to this city. I have to believe that once we get over these growing pains that we can start truly moving forward academically. Someone is going to have to give. It may be me, it may be you but whoever it is it won't be fun and it might not be easy but if it is for the best in the long run we may just have to go with it. I give Andy and his staff a lot of credit for taking the time to listen. They don't have to. Read the history. This goes back to 2003 with Rocky Ridge. They started the ball rolling and it snowballed from there. It kind of makes sense when you do go through the facts-- it will help you understand how we got to where we are and hopefully it will help this administration make a more informed and long range decision. We have progressed. If you were involved three to four years ago you would see that. It may not seem like much but it is forward movement. :) |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by Hoovergal on 02/06/08 at 10:58pm commonsense wrote:
Greystone did not have a representative on the Community Planning Team because their name was not drawn out of the hat (actually, it was a bowl). They were not too concerned at that time because they were, as commonsense stated, going to their brand new, private middle school and they thought whatever happen with rezoning would not affect them, so they took little interest. I don't think people from Greystone ever showed up for any of the Community Planning Team meetings or the BOE meetings. When the final zoning plan was presented at Thursday night work session, debated, discussed-they were not there. But by Monday night's meeting the Greystone community packed the room. Furious. Why? After the Thursday night work session, word got back to them that the revised zoning plan recommended by Dr. Williams sent the Riverchase community to their new middle school and they were not happy about it. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/07/08 at 8:33am From the article about the names put in the hat for the Community Planning Team: "Parent group nominees: Green Valley Elementary parent yet to be named, Cindy Wood (Gwin Elementary), Don Monk (Shades Mountain Elementary), Peggy Powell (South Shades Crest Elementary), Terri Lynn Hosmer (Bumpus Middle) and Lisa Weaver (Simmons Middle)." Each PTO was asked to nominate one person. I have the list of nominees, and apparently the other PTOs hadn't yet submitted a name when this article was written. Here are the names: Stacey Stocks - Bluff Park Liz Wallace - Deer Valley Green Valley - "to be named" Greystone - Marquita Cocke Gwin - Cindy Wood Riverchase Elementary - Valeta Neal Rocky Ridge - Sharon Charley Shades Mountain - Don Monk South Shades Crest - Peggy Powell Trace Crossings - Ben Chambless Berry Middle - Lee Hughes Bumpus Middle - Teri Lynn Hosmer Simmon Middle - Lisa Weaver Hoover High - Terra Richardson Spain Park - Taul Payne It was the Green Valley people who put the idea of the Community Planning Team on the Table, my2cents. They didn't just fight to get out of the track to Berry Middle and Spain Park High. If you'll review the articles, you'll see that Green Valley was taken out of the mix early on. But the fight continued, this time from Shades Mountain and Riverchase. But the Green Valley people stayed on. They recognized the need for the ENTIRE COMMUNITY to have a voice in whether or not their children stayed in schools in their community. Someone asked where would we be if Green Valley had just gone on to Berry Middle and Spain Park. I guess my son would be at Spain Park along with lots of other families' children. What would that have done to the Simmons' community? Would the Trace Crossings folks have bought in to the mission of Simmons? Would they be able to be integrally involved due to the proximity of their community? Would Riverchase have gone on to Berry Middle as planned? Who would the new principal have been at what would have been named Spain Park Middle School? Where would the new teachers have come from? What would the programming be at both middle schools? What would it be like to have four middle schools with around 600-700 kids at each middle school? What would it have done to the property values in the Green Valley zone that was closest to Simmons Middle School? Would those be desirable houses for families to live in if they knew that a functioning middle school was less than two miles from their house but they'd have to travel in a different direction (although we would get bus service!) to go to middle school? Would Trace Crossings be willing to financially support Simmons when they'd been Bumpus supporters all this time? What would Trace Crossings reaction really have been if the plan had gone through? Would they have willingly marched on? What if Riverchase went to the new middle school and Bluff Park got sent with Green Valley? We'd have Bluff Park, Green Valley, and Shades Mountain at Berry, Gwin and Trace Crossings at Simmons (and probably part of Deer Valley by now), and South Shades Crest and Deer Valley at Bumpus. What would that have done to Bluff Park's property values (to the ones who were closest to Simmons)? We'll never know the answers to these questions. Maybe we were better off when they just told us where we were going to school and we all just said "yes sir" and marched off like soldiers. Maybe true community involvement is not a good thing after all. Here is the Original McBay Plan: http://hooverforum.com/hoover/YaBB.pl?num=1202227776/50#50 |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/07/08 at 8:56am Community Planning Team Nominees: City Council Nominees Kim Butler Earl Cooper Rhonda Diliberto Karen Holmes Kathy Hutcheson Laura Lowe Theresa Petelos Joe Rieves Loree Skelton Jill Wootten Chamber of Commerce Nominees Mike Hayes Debbie Rockwell Lynn Thomas Doug Warnat Board of Education Nominees Sharon Baroody Keith Clowers Susan Filippini Jennifer Fuller Sammy Harris Paul Huckeba Dian T. Johnson Ann Molony Tammy McCarty Shiela Mulkey PTO/PTA/PTSO Nominees Named above Community-At-Large Nominees Deanna Bamman Tina Bearden Jack E. Brymer William Elrod Fran Freeman Myron Freeman Steve Frost Julie Gibbs-Erwin James Groves Robin Harrison Randi Hartley Sandra Hassett Wendy Herring Kendall Hoffman Vickie Huckeba Afif Kanafani Carla Kanafani Penni Koch Lori Martin Lana Mawhinney Scott Myers Richard Neathammer Tina Neathammer Kris Nuss Rhonda Peoples Troy Raybon Julie Richey Melinda Rieves Janis Slack Debbie Smith Jill Stalnaker Connie Thomas William Thomas Mark Williams Janet Winters |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by HSCIN on 02/07/08 at 9:09am Sorry...this one's out of reverse chronological order, but is important to put a date on it. Birmingham News (AL) ZONING APPROVED FOR ADDITION OF MIDDLE SCHOOL AT SPAIN PARK December 11, 2003 Section: Neighborhoods Page: 3-C TROY GOODMAN News staff writer The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission has voted to allow the city's schools to build a middle school on a 30-acre parcel next to Spain Park High School. The commission granted approval Monday during a meeting that included dozens of comments from residents who oppose the way the school is being positioned next to a residential street. Noel Chambless, president of the Inverness Master Homeowners Asso ciation, said the dispute boiled down to the school system not being willing to increase the 150-foot tree and hill buffer now planned between the school and the homes. The residential group wants the buffer widened to 200 feet or more. The new middle school "has got 30 acres and we need 200 feet," Chambless testified before the commission. The commission voted unanimously to approve the middle school site plan with the 150-foot buffer. The issue now goes before the City Council on Jan. 5. Gary McBay, director of school services, told the residents he already had listened to their concerns and widened the tree and hill buffer from an initial plan of 80 feet to the 150 feet. Hoover's building and zoning rules only require a 35-foot buffer between a school and a residential community. "To say that we have ignored their comments is an outright lie," McBay said. Blueprints call for the school to be 150,000 square feet, with construction to begin next year and the building to be open by mid-2005. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by my2cents on 02/07/08 at 10:55am HSCIN, I haven't had time to read all the posts you have made, but I am working my way through them. When I asked why BP owed GV it was because I interpreted that you felt GV did all the work. Having read some of your posts, I now understand what you wanted me to see. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by Bucsamillion on 02/08/08 at 1:06pm slab wrote:
A question and a little Devil's Advocate here - if Bluff Park had been rezoned to SP at this time would we still be having this current rezoning discussion? SP would be closer or at capacity and HHS would be several hundred students less, maybe even allowing enough room for the Freshmen to attend. [/quote] DANG!! |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by forpeace on 02/08/08 at 1:20pm I am curious as to why anyone would ever think it would make sense for people in Bluff Park to drive past and through Green Valley to get to Spain Park? If one of the two should be rezoned, clearly Green Valley is closer. Of course, it really doesn't make sense for people in Green Valley to go to Spain Park either. |
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Title: Re: Rezoning History Post by hibousage on 02/08/08 at 10:00pm forpeace wrote:
We're talking about rezoning here. How dare you ask if things make sense? |
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