(Collierville, TN) Big changes are ahead for many Shelby County students.
“People are confused about whether to stay in Germantown go to Houston, what elementary school they will be zoned for, so I think there is confusion,” says Carol Avens of Germantown.
Municipal schools start next school year, but no one knows how many students each will have.
Take Houston High, a Germantown School, but many of its students live in Collierville.
Parents are wondering if those kids will get the boot to make room for students who already live in the district.
Collierville’s School Superintendent John Atkins talked to WREG while traveling in Nashville. He highlighted the challenges ahead.
“You are trying to deal with Collierville residents and then you have to take the next step on how to handle those kids who live outside the municipal boundaries and come up with some kind of open enrollment policies, transfer policies based on capacity and room at buildings specifically,” says Atkins.
Atkins has been meeting with other municipal superintendents this week.
He hopes by mid-February they will have clear numbers on how many students will make up each district and how many kids outside the district can stay.
“We all have to look at new school districts not just for next year, we have to look long term, if you are anticipating huge growth,” says Atkins.
They must also consider unincorporated areas of the county, where parents are being asked to choose a school while realizing they could soon be annexed.
They are important decisions as a new school year looms.
“I am sure the schools will work it out to the best of the student’s ability and that is what we are hoping for, the students win in all of this,” says Mary Ann Shea of Germantown.
The school districts are urging parents to attend open houses being held at different schools. Most school districts now have web sites with dates and locations for those meetings.
