Stephens BOE Hears More Opinion on Proposed EES Closing

A second public hearing on the proposed closing of Eastanollee Elementary School brings out more opposed to and concerned about the plan.

Monday, a few dozen people attended the second of two scheduled public hearings on the proposed closing of Eastanollee Elementary School at the Tugaloo Center for the Performing Arts at Stephens County High School.

Most of those who spoke Monday opposed the plan, which would close Eastanollee Elementary, re-structure grades Pre-K through five, and implement a corresponding reduction in force plan that would result in the net loss of about 24.5 positions.

Parent Jennifer Smith said the proposal would be a major hardship for her family.

“I have five kids that I will have to rush to four different schools,” said Smith. “You are not paying my gas bill to run them up and down the road.”

Smith said that under the proposal, her children would be split up and could not pick up homework for a sibling if a child were sick, for example.

She said the plan would leave children behind.

Meanwhile, parent Dianne Barnes said that she does not understand why Eastanollee was chosen and adds that the south end of the county is getting “lowballed.”

Under the plan, the school system would close Eastanollee Elementary and move all Pre-K and Kindergarten students to Big A Elementary, 1st and 2nd grade to Liberty Elementary, 3rd and 4th grades to Toccoa Elementary, and 5th grade would then move to Stephens County Middle School in a separate 5th Grade Academy.

Meghan King, a first grade teacher at Big A Elementary, said she feels a better idea would be to re-zone the county and have three schools that went from Pre-K to fourth grade and then move fifth grade to the middle school.

She said this would be better because each school uses different curriculum and there may not be money to standardize the curriculum if everyone were put there by grade level.

“Our school uses different curriculum to teach phonics, math, and language arts to our students,” said King. “I know this is true for K, 1, and 2. I think it would be difficult to put all first and second grade teachers together in a school where we do not have a common curriculum.”

King also said keeping a child in the same school gives them a sense of family. In addition, she says she is concerned about a lack of paraprofessionals for older elementary school grade levels and having the ability to go back to four elementary schools if needed later if this plan is implemented.

Stephens County School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey said that the school system looked at going to three Pre-K through grade four elementary schools.

Dorsey said it is plausible, but does not save as much money because there are more regulations to meet in such a set-up.

Also, Dorsey said he does not feel curriculum is going to be an issue.

“I think most of the things we have heard from our administrators and the majority of our staff have actually been the opposite,” said Dorsey. “They feel a unified curriculum is in all of our students’ best interest, where we are collectively making the best decisions for all of our students with all of our brains working together.”

Others who spoke expressed concern about how much it will cost to move all of these classrooms around, how much it will cost to maintain an empty Eastanollee Elementary, and what will happen in the long term to the Eastanollee Elementary School building in the long term.

Meanwhile, other speakers raised continued concerns about the readiness of fifth graders to be in the Middle School, even if they are separated from the other grades.

The Stephens County Board of Education has not taken a final vote on the plan yet.

However, parent Shelly Arnold said the board is not listening to the community.

“You come in here with closed eyes and closed ears,” said Arnold to the board. “You do not see what is going on in this community, what these parents, what these children are trying to say to you. You do not hear us. From what I have heard from multiple people who work in the school system, you guys have already handed our your pink slips. You have already gone into the schools, talked to the fourth graders about going into the middle school next year, when this supposedly is not yet a done deal.”

Dorsey said that he was made aware Monday that fourth grade parents received letters from the middle school gauging their students’ interest in middle school chorus and band if the transition went through.

Also, Dorsey said that when this plan were put together, they did speak with the employees that would likely be affected by the plan and told them that if it were approved, they could be involved.

He said that was the right thing to do to give those employees as much notice as possible.

Some who spoke said they would support the school system’s plan.

Kelly Dodd said it is important for parents to set an example for their children.

“Instead of allowing kids and parents to stomp and snort and get angry and be upset to get what they want,” said Dodd. “Kids know they cannot do that. Parents need to take a step back, relax, and see that this could be a good thing and I think, in the future, it will be a good thing for all those involved.”

Dorsey has said he would like the Board to vote on the budget reduction plan, including the closing of Eastanollee Elementary, this month.

The Stephens County Board of Education has its regular meeting on April 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Stephens County School System Administrative Offices on Mize Road.