Board of Education Changes Course and Now Seeks New Pre-K to 8th Grade Schools (View video here)

December 6, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Fourteen months ago the Board of Education was sold on building a new pre-kindergarten to 2^nd grade school to replace Smithville Elementary School and voted in October, 2018 to seek funding from the county commission for this building model once a suitable site was found.

The school board has now had a change of heart.

School Board member Shaun Tubbs from dwayne page on Vimeo.

During a special meeting Thursday night, the Board voted 6-1 to scrap the plan for a Pre-K to 2^nd grade school and recommend to the county commission funding two new Pre-K through 8^th grade schools in the Smithville area and a renovation of Northside Elementary School to make it a Pre-K to 8^th grade facility. That would give the district a total of four Pre-K to 8^th grade schools including DeKalb West while eliminating both the existing Smithville Elementary and DeKalb Middle Schools.

Without any hard numbers, the board is relying on its architects’ latest estimates for construction which puts the new 2 school project at a minimum of $48,685,000 (not counting the total renovation which would be needed at Northside Elementary) and it does not include the purchase of land. In fact, no site has yet been selected for any new school. Board members say they can’t move forward on the purchase of property until they know if the county commission is willing to support funding or at least the concept of this new Pre-K to 8^th grade schools proposal. According to the board’s architect, Upland Design Group about 25-30 acres would be needed for each of the two new schools

If the county commission should agree to fund the plan through a bond issue or note once actual costs are known, it will have to find the money to meet the debt obligations, possibly through another property tax hike, implementation of a wheel tax, a combination of the two, or some other revenue source.

Seventh District Board of Education member Shaun Tubbs, a proponent of the Pre-K to 8^th grade building model, advocated his position to fellow board members in a power point presentation during a workshop held prior to the special meeting Thursday night. Members of the county commission attended the workshop and asked questions.

Tubbs insists his plan solves all the major issues with the existing middle and elementary schools in Smithville particularly overcrowding and security. Plus, he said it gives the county more bang for the buck.

According to Upland Design Group, the cost of building a new Pre-K to 2^nd grade school has shot up from the original estimates two years ago of over $19 million to more than $30 million today while the cost of building two new Pre-K to 8^th grade schools at the same time would be around $48,600,000 (total). Tubbs said that’s like building one school and getting the other at 50% off. Others say the plan could also bring on more recurring administrative costs and require more teachers in the system

Tubbs’ further stressed that by building two new Pre-K to 8^th grade schools (each with a capacity of 700 students) and also making Northside a Pre-K to 8^th grade facility, there would be no future need of building a new middle school and it would free up space at the existing middle school campus for future construction of possibly a new 2-3 story high school. With a new high school built at or next to the same campus as the existing school, Tubbs said there would be no reason to build new high school athletic facilities there which would also save the county $10 to $15 million.

If the school district were to have a total of four Pre-K to 8^th grade schools (3 in the Smithville area along with DeKalb West School), the county would be divided into zones and students would have to attend the school in the zone where they reside. Student population would be divided as evenly as possible among the schools which means DeKalb West School with a current enrollment of around 400 would have to take on more students. Bus routes would also have to be altered because of the zoning which could result in fuel savings and less traffic congestion at the schools.

Overall, Tubbs said the pros in implementing the plan outnumber the cons.

“Like DeKalb West it would create a more community school environment at each facility and foster more cohesiveness/familiarity. Statistics show that grades do better with fewer moves. Currently students will change schools three times before reaching high school but at DeKalb West School students experience a tighter bond than other students according to information provided to me from parents, students, and faculty at DWS. Upper grades also show leadership qualities by helping and supporting lower grades at one school,” said Tubbs.

All school board members voted in favor of the new school plan Thursday night except 3^rd District member Jim Beshearse.

In a statement to WJLE after the meeting, Beshearse explained his reasons for opposing it.

“The cost of the K-8’s is very expensive and if they are voted in and the county commission approves the money, we will be looking at more than $50 million and the thoughts of ever getting a new high school would be extremely jeopardized. If we build a K-2 school the cost would be less than half and then maybe we could focus on a new high school that is desperately needed as well,” said Beshearse.

“I have researched a lot on K-8s and the potential for bullying due to the age difference in the children all under one roof drastically increases and the middle school years are prime for bullying. The largest age difference in middle school students is three years whereas in a K-8 the age  difference is up to nine years,” he continued.

“I also believe not being able to go to a middle school could create a culture shock for these children by spending all of their time in one school and not being able to transition to middle school as they always have in Smithville and DeKalb County excluding DeKalb West School”.

“If we build K-8s throughout Smithville and DeKalb County the schools would all have to be zoned accordingly meaning where you live is where your child would go to school,” said Beshearse.

“Everyone has their own opinion on what we should build and I totally respect each and everyone’s opinions on what we decide to go further with in the near future,” added Beshearse.

The proposal now moves to the county commission for discussion.

December 6, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The artist spotlight will shine on singer/songwriter Justin Norman of Louisiana this morning (Friday) during WJLE’s “Jammin at the 428 program” hosted by Jim Hicks.

“Jammin’ at the 428” airs at 8:30 a.m. following the “Old Time Country Community Radio Show”

Norman will talk about his career and perform some of his music on today’s show.

“We had a great time with both Justin and his drummer Jeremy Warren. Jeremy is a great drummer and has become a good producer. We wish the best to both Justin and Jeremy with their new project,” said Hicks.

To hear this show click the link below or click the dropdown box under the “Community” section of the WJLE homepage near the top and look for “Jammin’ at the 428” .

Jammin at the 428 December 6

Norman records at Rick Scruggs’ Studio in Smithville, also known as the 428.

December 5, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Two districts in Tennessee, DeKalb County School District and Sevier County School System, are among 250 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 10th Annual Advanced Placement (AP) ® District Honor Roll.

To be included on the 10th Annual Honor Roll, schools must have shown an increase in the number of students participating in AP courses since 2017 while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. Achieving these goals indicates that both Sevier and DeKalb are successfully identifying motivated, academically-prepared students for AP participation and credit. Additionally, this is Sevier’s second recognition since 2014.

“The efforts of DeKalb and Sevier counties exemplify what Best for All truly means,” said Tennessee Education Commissioner Dr. Penny Schwinn. “Expanding AP access while increasing exam scores takes incredible commitment, and we commend the students, teachers, and leaders who worked so hard to achieve these results.”

National data from 2019 show that among historically underserved student groups who are ready for AP courses, only about half of them participate. The first step to increasing participation is increasing access. By removing barriers and opening more doors to prepared and motivated students, these counties give more students the opportunity to get a head start on postsecondary success.

For inclusion on the 10th Annual AP District Honor Roll, DeKalb and Sevier met the following criteria:

• Increase participation/access in AP courses;
• Increase or maintain the percentage of historically underserved students taking exams and increase or maintain the percentage of these students scoring 3+ on at least one AP Exam; and
• Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2019 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2017 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70% of its AP students earn a 3 or higher.

“With more students participating and succeeding in AP in these districts, more students have the chance to earn early college credit,” said Trevor Packer, senior vice president of AP and Instruction at the College Board. “We are pleased to honor the teachers and administrators who cleared a path for more students of all backgrounds to advance through AP.”

The complete 10th Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found here: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/awards/district-honor-roll

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