Eastanollee Elementary Slated to Reopen, Elementary Restructure Approved

At a meeting of the Stephens County Board of Education held last night, Oct. 29, Board members voted unanimously to reopen Eastanollee Elementary and restructure the school system’s Elementary schools, returning to an alignment where each elementary school will serve PreK through 5th Grade Students within a district, as opposed to the current alignment where each school educates all children in the county in 2-year grade bands.

In opening the meeting, Stephens County School Superintendent Dr. Connie Franklin stressed that best outcomes for children is the top priority in all decisions made by the school system and the Board of Education. She reviewed some of the school challenges discussed at last week’s meeting that led to the proposal of reopening Eastanollee Elementary and restructuring the elementary alignment, including the growth in Toccoa and Stephens County, which will inevitably lead to more students, and again said that there is no physical room for growth in the school system, as only one school  has unused classrooms at this time. 

She spoke of the extended time some students are spending on the bus each day under the current alignment and talked about the difficulties students have when faced with multiple school transitions over their school career. 

Deputy Superintendent John Stith reiterated the cost estimates of several solutions to the above concerns, including adding a new school building, which was estimated at more than $28 million, adding on a wing to an existing school, estimated at $11 million, and compared those estimated prices to the estimated cost of reopening Eastanollee Elementary, which they place at $10.5 million – less expensive than either of the other two options. 

Stith also spoke about the redistricting that would take place under the realignment. 

Following were comments from audience members, starting with Kim Deal, who spoke of reasons she did not support the planned restructure, including a lack of stability for many of the students in the school system, such as foster children and others, who would lose the stability of staying in one school throughout the year, regardless of whether their residence moved throughout the year.

Next to speak was Brent Tuck, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, who spoke in favor of the proposed restructure. 

The only other speaker at the meeting was Brandy Stacy, Stephens County Director of Exceptional Children. 

Following audience comments, the Board of Education entered executive session, listing discussion of personnel matters as the need for the session – before reconvening the meeting to vote on the proposal to reopen Eastanollee Elementary and restructure the school district’s elementary schools into a PreK to 5th grade alignment. 

Prior to the vote by the Board, board member Tripp Arrowwood spoke.

After Franklin made the official recommendation, both the vote to reopen Eastanollee Elementary, at an estimated cost of $10.5 million,  and the vote in favor of the restructure the school alignment, were unanimous. The restructure will be effective in the 2026-27 school year.

Following the vote, WNEG News spoke with Board Chair Len Stovall, asking what key points and concerns were the focus of the Board when making this decision. 

WNEG news will be meeting with school superintendent Dr. Connie Franklin on Thursday to learn more details about the process that will be involved and will have that story on Friday.