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.