Quote from slab on 07/17/09 at 8:51am:Quote from myway on 07/17/09 at 8:28am:We don't need to open up Berry Middle on the hill again. It will take substantial upgrades to get the old Berry into shape again as a middle school that is comparable to the other middle schools in our district. Lets not forget that there was a reason that we moved on from that building. Re zoning kids is a can of worms that I don't want to address.
We need a 3rd high school so we can use the Freshman center as a middle school (the original intention)
Its time for people to get over rezoning. Kids are a lot more resilient than we give them credit for. Sure we have all made investments of time and money in our neighborhood school but if tough times call for rezoning then we need to be about it. Attending the town hall rezoning meeting at Bumpus a year or so back you would have thought the end of the world was coming because the long term plan called for a move of some kids from one elementary school (DV) back to the elementary school they used to be zoned for (SSC). I don't see a second round for HS rezoning being nearly as contentious as was the first.
Old Berry could be brought up usable standards for a reasonable amount of investment. It was used as a high school for many years and as a middle school not that long ago. It may not end up being as nice as the new Berry but we won't have to spend an outrageous sum building a new school.
Slab, just wondering: Do you have children in school? Do you live in an area likely to be rezoned? If you attended a meeting at Bumpus and the fracas was about re-zoning from Deer Valley to South Shades Crest, I can see your point. That isn't that much of a big deal. I agree.
Truth is though, you're children won't be re-zoned to go to Spain Park High School. No wonder you think the people who live in the old neighborhoods in the center of Hoover should buckle under and have their children re-zoned to Spain Park.
But if you think re-zoning for high schools won't be nearly as contentious as it was the first time, watch out. It will be more contentious. There are better solutions than rezoning.
It really is a shame we have a school building that is not being utilized. Myway, I don't think the elementary schools are all "comparable." Why should middle schools be? Come to that, the high schools aren't comparable either. Spain Park is much bigger, fancier and newer and on a larger campus. I think Old Berry it would be a great location for an Arts and Sciences High School for students who want more challenges and college prep. Or the Baccalaureate program? They'd have to provide their own transportation.