The ‘R’ word — rezoning topic for packed house

Zoning lines, grade configuration, avoiding disparate academics and establishing ‘learning communities’ were all hot topics at the work session for the Madison Board of Education on Dec. 1.

Rezoning discussion, prompted by the opening of James Clemens High School, brought a packed house to Columbia Elementary School. The board did not vote on zoning or grade configurations at the work session.

Superintendent Dr. Dee Fowler used the demographics study prepared by Dr. Steve Salmon with RKR Planning Services that analyzed the current population in the district and projected future growth.

Fowler presented historical data, including housing sales, potential housing development and census tracts to show Madison’s growth patterns.

“If we don’t look at socio-economics, we will start to (develop) ‘have’ schools and ‘have not’ schools,” Fowler said. “I’m a firm believer that when it makes a difference where you go to school in the City of Madison, the (standard) of academics will start to decline.”

Fowler presented three zoning proposals. Proposal A sets middle and high school zones according to existing elementary zone lines. Students in Heritage, Madison and Mill Creek elementary zones would attend Liberty Middle School and James Clemens. Students in Columbia, Horizon, Rainbow and West Madison elementary zones would attend Discovery Middle School and Bob Jones High School.

However, the proposal doesn’t consider potential overcrowding at Mill Creek and Columbia. Also, some students living adjacent to Liberty would attend Discovery.

Proposal B rezones pockets of elementary students at Columbia and Heritage, along with some Mill Creek students moving to Columbia. Students would attend high school based on lines in Proposal A.

This proposal would delay elementary rezoning for several years but would relocate some students who experienced rezoning three years ago.

Proposal C calls for no elementary rezoning this year. Middle and high school zones would align with Proposal A, except for some students at Columbia and Madison who also would divide after elementary school. A potential rezoning would occur in about two years.

Plan B is only plan that changes elementary zone lines with shifting of students at Heritage and Columbia elementary schools, Fowler said.