I've always said that urban decay would chase suburban sprawl. Looks like it is happening at a faster rate with the help of the school board. aggregate the economically advantaged further west while leaving the rest of the schools in the system to deal with more than their fair share of economically disadvantaged students, which has historically shown to bring those schools down, not up.

Economic desegregation NOW!

“developing theme-based high schools and academies within schools, with open enrollment across the school system.”

your suburban schools are already overcrowded and disproportionately economically advantaged. Every school needs to balance wealth and poverty. the rezonings skew this further.

source here.

May 1, 2007

Dear Knox County School Board Members,

Just 24 hours before your vote on the school system’s Proposed Comprehensive High School Zone Plan, too many concerns about the plan remain unanswered.

Here in Powell, we have concerns for both the school system as a whole and for our own school community.

Concerns for the Knox County School System:

In its informational packet titled “Proposed Comprehensive High School Zone Plan,” school system personnel include a page titled “What Drives the Rezoning Proposals?” We question whether any of the seven drivers the school board established are supported in the resulting proposal, as follows:

• We question that Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) data projecting future high school enrollments following the proposed rezoning, while possibly unreliable, nevertheless indicate continued overcrowding at Farragut High (2400 students again eight years into plan) and projected underutilization at Karns High (67 to 81% utilization rates over first eight years of plan). The school board must “pin down” projected enrollments at Farragut and Karns high schools.

• We also question the plan's assertion that Central High and Powell High have “facility utilization challenges”, since 1) neither school is underutilized, 2) neither school overcrowded, and 3) MPC's Partnership for Education Facilities Assessment (PEFA) study projects future enrollments of 5% and 15% fewer students, respectively, at these two schools. The proposal's undue attention to “scheduling challenges” asserted to exist at Bearden High and West High, which we are told refers to a high volume of "floating teachers" in these schools, runs contrary to board members' previous assertions that the school system must move away from this costly concept that each high school teacher requires exclusive use of a classroom. The school board must utilize consistently the PEFA study data relating to underutilization and overcrowding, and it must also act consistently with regard to what attention, if any, it will give the so-called “floating teacher” issue.

• We also question that the plan creates a "viable population" at Hardin Valley High. On the contrary, those same MPC data projecting future high school enrollments following the proposed rezoning, while possibly unreliable, nevertheless indicate projected underutilization at Hardin Valley High (61 to 65% utilization rates over first eight years of plan). The school board must “pin down” projected enrollment at Hardin Valley high school, as well.

• We also question that the plan creates a "viable population" at Austin-East Magnet High, since the viability of any changed population at A-E must be determined within the context of how the school board intends to utilize A-E. The school board must wait to form its intentions for Austin-East high school until after it is in receipt of recommendations from the Magnet School Task Force.

• We also question whether the plan "sets the stage for middle school rezoning," with respect to its goal of establishing sound feeder patterns, because the school board has made no disclosure whatsoever of its intentions in this regard. The school board must fully disclose its intended changes in feeder patterns, so that all affected school communities may participate in and respond to that plan.

• We especially question that the plan "cleans up" transportation problems, since it clearly imposes longer and/or less safe commutes in virtually every school community affected by the plan. Neither have school system personnel determined the increased cost inherent in conducting the proposed bus transportation routes to be operated under the plan, per Mr. Mullins remarks at the recent Powell High community forum. The school board must answer these concerns of longer and/or less safe commutes and it must undertake an analysis of what would clearly be increased school system transportation costs.

• We also question that because "the most accessible available seats are in the northwest part of the county," any assumption should necessarily follow that system wide rezoning should be undertaken to fill those seats. Undertaking a circuitous rezoning pattern to shuffle students, first west-to-east across a 30 mile swath of south Knox County, then east-to-west just above that route, may or may not be advisable. The school board must avoid attempts to disguise that the west end of the school system is, for the present, overbuilt, and it must avoid potentially inviting subsequent rezoning in a west-to-east direction, should growth in west Knox County exceed MPC’s current projections.

Concerns for the Powell School Zone:

If adopted, the Proposed High School Zone Plan would impact the existing Powell High school zone, as follows:

• On the eastern and especially the western ends of the zone, remove about 1/3 of the existing geographic area, containing 249 existing students, or 22% of existing enrollment.

• On the southern end of the zone, add a finger four or five miles into the central city, to the I-640/I-75 interchange, containing 321 new students, or 28% of existing enrollment.

It is our understanding that this alteration to the Powell High school zone is proposed in part to facilitate correcting an existing feeder pattern that routes students from Norwood Elementary, to Northwest Middle, and on into too many high schools. Correction of the feeder pattern would entail routing existing Norwood Elementary and Northwest Middle students into Powell schools following subsequent elementary and middle school rezoning measures the school board will undertake next fall.

Powell residents, then, require the following assurances that several indicators of student success at a changed Powell Middle and Powell Elementary might compare equally to or more favorably than Knox County school system averages for the same indicators, as follows:

A review of middle school statistics at the State Report Card for 2006 reveals:

• Economically Disadvantaged students at Northwest Middle run 71.7%.

• Economically Disadvantaged students at Powell Middle run 29.6%.

• The school board must assure that the percentage of Economically Disadvantaged students at Powell Middle following the proposed rezoning will compare equally to or more favorably than the Knox County school system average of 39.8% Economically Disadvantaged.

• Suspended and expelled students at Northwest Middle comprise 45% and 2.1%, respectively, of total students.

• Suspended and expelled students at Powell Middle comprise 16.8% and 0%, respectively, of total students.

• The school board must assure that the percentage of suspended and expelled students at Powell Middle following the proposed rezoning will compare equally to or more favorably than the Knox County school system average of 11.4% and .1% suspended and expelled students, respectively.

• TCAP test scores (Academic Achievement) in four tested subjects at Northwest Middle rate D, D, D and F.

• TCAP test scores (Academic Achievement) in four tested subjects at Powell Middle rate A, A, C, and C.

• The school board must assure that TCAP test scores measuring Academic Achievement at Powell Middle following the proposed rezoning will compare equally to or more favorably than the Knox County school system average of A, B, B, and C.

Similarly, a review of elementary school statistics at the State Report Card for 2006 reveals:

• Economically Disadvantaged students at Norwood Elementary run 74.6%.

• Economically Disadvantaged students at Powell Elementary run 35.0%.

• The school board must assure that the percentage of Economically Disadvantaged students at Powell Elementary following the proposed rezoning will compare equally to or more favorably than the Knox County school system average of 39.8% Economically Disadvantaged.

• Suspended and expelled students at Norwood Elementary comprise 9.1% and 0%, respectively, of total students.

• Suspended and expelled students at Powell Elementary comprise 1.0% and 0%, respectively, of total students.

• The school board must assure that the percentage of suspended and expelled students at Powell Elementary following the proposed rezoning will compare equally to or more favorably than the Knox County school system average of 11.4% and .1% suspended and expelled students, respectively.

• TCAP test scores (Academic Achievement) in four tested subjects at Norwood Elementary rate D, D, D and D.

• TCAP test scores (Academic Achievement) in four tested subjects at Powell Elementary rate A, B, C, and C.

• The school board must assure that TCAP test scores measuring Academic Achievement at Powell Elementary following the proposed rezoning will compare equally to or more favorably than the Knox County school system average of A, B, B, and C.

These many unanswered concerns relating to both the Proposed Comprehensive High School Zone Plan and the process that created it necessitate that you vote “no” on the plan tomorrow, that you promptly assemble a more inclusive, participatory task force to begin work on a new plan, and that you create a plan attentive to ALL Knox County students.

Sincerely,
Tamara G. Shepherd