Both Sides Speak at First Eastanollee Elementary Hearing

The first public hearing on the proposed closing of Eastanollee Elementary School shows a split in opinions and a lot of questions.

Hundreds were at the Tugaloo Center for the Performing Arts at Stephens County High School Monday for the first of two public hearings on the proposed closing of Eastanollee Elementary.

Many of the first speakers opposed the proposal to close Eastanollee Elementary and re-structure grades Pre-K through five, telling the school board they had a petition with over 300 signatures on it opposing closing Eastanollee Elementary School.

Parent Victoria Holden said she does not think closing Eastanollee Elementary School is a very good idea.

Holden said one reason is potential transportation problems.

“There are a lot of parents in the area that would have to drive all the way downtown to take their kids to school if they take them to school,” said Holden. “If they have more than one child in different grades, there is no way they can go to one school, get one child, get another child from another school and so on and so forth and be able to make it on time.”

Stephens County School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey said he knows it will be difficult, but adds that there are no easy solutions.

“We are trying to make sure we are maximizing our dollars and minimizing the impact to our student programs,” said Dorsey. “There is absolutely cost on both parties. I am sure it will be less convenient. I am not sure how to solve the fact it will be less convenient.”

Holden also said she is concerned about fifth graders being in the middle school, noting that while officials said they will be separate, she feels that fifth graders will still be exposed too much to the older kids when they are not ready for that.

The transition of fifth grade to the middle school is something that many people questioned.

Meanwhile, local resident Art Conway said he feels that this sort of drastic upheaval is unnecessary at this time.

“Last month, I believe the board was given a report that we are on budget, that we are living within our means,” said Conway. “Why can’t we just continue to do that? If need be, raise money to pay off these debts that have come to us from two to three years ago. Live within our means and then pay off these debts a little at a time. There are many ways we could do this. We could raise money. We could go to the state.”

However, Board Chair Tony Crunkleton said that while the budget is in line, the school system continues to deal with a cash flow problem centered around borrowing money across fiscal years.

“We pay (the Tax Anticipation Notes) in December after we get the property taxes,” said Crunkleton. “We owe millions, I think this last year it was like $4.5 million or something like that and we had $5 million (in the bank). That means that we pay that off and we start the next year and there is no cash flow. We start the same cycle again. We have to turn around and start borrowing money, except every time we have to start borrowing it earlier.”

According to Dorsey, the plan would save the school system $1.9 million a year.

That money would go towards a $2.6 million savings Dorsey said is needed to keep the school system from borrowing money and using Tax Anticipation Notes to fund school system operations prior to the start of a fiscal year.

Dorsey said if the school system does not push those loans back, the cash flow situation will continue to be a problem in years ahead.

He also said that the school system looked at other options, such as $1.5 million or so in personnel cuts that would have kept all schools open.

However, Dorsey said that system leaders felt that endangered student programs too much and left too few adults in the schools.

The plan put forth would result in a reduction in force of 25.5 positions.

However, Dorsey said that student programs are very much protected under the current proposal.

“If this plan moves forward, we would have lost a half-time Art and P.E. at the elementary schools and an in-course day Driver’s Ed program,” said Dorsey. “Otherwise, this plan keeps all programs that we are offering our students, so that is something we have worked really hard on, to make sure we can keep what we are currently offering our children.”

A Latin program at the high school that was cut under the proposal would stay in place, Dorsey said, through a joint enrollment effort with Toccoa Falls College.

Others speaking Monday were in favor of the plan.

Big A Elementary Teacher Martha Norris said that the plan would have benefits.

“We see kids move from one school in the county to another and they had Science this month at that school, but next month, they had Social Studies,” said Norris. “They may miss part of their Language or their Math lessons. They struggle and get behind and have to attend after-school or summer school to get caught up. By putting them in the same school, it does not matter where they live in the county, they can still go to the same school. As for transportation, I know it would be hard for parents to get them to the different schools, but that is why we have a bus system that is free to them.”

Meanwhile, parent Dori Childs said she opposed it at first, but feels now it is the best option.

Childs said it creates a unified school system.

“I think it is great to have neighborhood schools, but there is always that divisiveness of ‘my school is better than your school’,” said Childs. “You take away that divisiveness.”

She also said the children will get to know each other at a younger age and allows grade level teachers to work more closely together.

Many people criticized the board for not discussing other options in more depth and not being transparent enough and discussing how they feel about this plan.

Crunkleton said these public hearings are for the board to gather information to help make their decision.

“One reason we have not said ‘pro’ or ‘con’ is because that is what these meetings are for,” said Crunkleton. “We have not made up our mind. We know what he is proposing and we are not going to say ‘this is good’ or ‘this is not good’ until we get all the facts.”

There will be a second public hearing on the proposal on April 13 at 6:30 p.m., also at the Tugaloo Center at Stephens County High School.

Dorsey said he hopes to have a final vote on the plan at the Board of Education’s regular business meeting later in April.