Board of education seeks community's input on Wyndale redistricting

PRINCETON — The Mercer County Board of Education is seeking parent input to help solve an overcrowding situation that’s adding up to space problems at Melrose Elementary School.

During the December school board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Deborah Akers told the school governing body that action is essential to alleviate overcrowding at Melrose.

In recent years, the student population at the small facility has grown so large that Melrose recently converted its media center into a classroom to accommodate the ever-expanding numbers.

Akers told the board, in her opinion, the best solution would involve redistricting Wyndale subdivision and directing students who live in its 120-125 homes from Melrose to Athens School, several miles and a completely different neighborhood culture away.

At the time, some Board members voiced concern that residents might object to the plan, and some parents have recently spoken out against the proposal.

Tuesday night, Board President Greg Prudich sought out ways to satisfy parents while still alleviating the overcrowding issue.

Prudich told his fellow board members and Akers of a conversation he recently had with a board member from Jefferson County. That board member told him how Jefferson County redistricted when it de-consolidated its namesake high school into Washington and Jefferson High Schools.

“They got a committee of parents, teachers and community members together,” Prudich said. “They gave them a list of criteria and they had to come up with a plan to make the de-consolidation work.”

Prudich recommended that a similar committee be created in the Melrose Elementary situation.

•••

Mori Williams’ oldest child, Landon, attended Melrose Elementary School. Williams and his wife, Terri, had hoped their 4-year-old daughter, Lauren, would enjoy the same experience in the same community-oriented school.

If the Board of Education carries through with Akers’ proposal to redirect children from Wyndale subdivision to Athens School, Lauren will not have that opportunity when she starts kindergarten next fall.

Williams was quick to say that his frustration was not a reflection of Athens School.

“I really don’t know anything about Athens. It may be a very good school,” he said. “The fact of the matter is that I’ve got Landon, who went to Melrose and was very successful there with his education. That’s carried on through middle and high school. I know that Melrose is a small school with quality teachers and a good curriculum. That’s what I want Lauren to experience.”

When Williams purchased his Wyndale home, he believed the location would be prime for Lauren to attend Melrose, while the family enjoyed living in a close-knit community close to town while still being removed from a city setting.

“When you buy a home, one of the first things you do is look at the school district, if you have children. The majority of the people who have children bought a home in that subdivision thinking that their children would be going to Melrose,” Williams said. “Obviously, for me, it’s very convenient. You can almost see the school from our house. There were times when Landon was in the fifth grade when he actually walked home from school. That would never be possible at Athens.”

He is also concerned with the fact that Athens School does not offer Bible in the Schools classes, an elective program funded by private donations but available in most other Mercer County public schools.

“That’s something that Landon participated in, and I would like for Lauren to be able to participate in it as part of her education,” Williams said.

He called on the Mercer County Board of Education to study the situation further to see if there were any other options to solve the overcrowding issues at Melrose while still taking parents’ wishes into consideration.

“Other than just seeing how many houses are in Wyndale, have they done any studies on why Melrose is getting overcrowded? Is it just a population shift, or is there a reason why people are sending their children to Melrose, rather than some of the other schools in the area?” Williams said.

He hopes Board of Education officials carefully consider the situation before making a final redistricting decision concerning Melrose Elementary and the communities that surround it, particularly the roughly 125 residences and their inhabitants in Wyndale.

“I would like for them to be open and honest about the situation, so that we can hopefully sit down and have a rational conversation about what is best for the children involved,” Williams said.

— Contact Matt Christian at mchristian@ptonline.net; contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline.net.

News

Search Results

Discussion

Board of education seeks community's input on Wyndale redistricting

Site Map

Contact Us