WCS approves rezoning plan for 2025

Wilson County Schools students who will enter fifth or eighth grade in 2025 and who reside in a school district undergoing school rezoning may choose to remain at their current school, according to a decision made by the Wilson County Schools Board of Education at its Sept. 23 meeting.

Transportation for these students must be arranged by parents because the school district does not have two buses in one district to take students to two different schools, said WCS Superintendent Travis Mayfield.

As part of the rezoning, current students at rezoned schools will also have priority at schools with open enrollment. A number of schools in the district will continue to have open enrollment, with applications taking place from October 16 to November 14. The board changed the date at Monday's meeting.

The rezoning plan was approved by a vote of 6 to 1, with Joe Padilla voting against. The rezoning changes will take effect in the 2025-26 academic year.

The rezoning will impact West Elementary, Elzie Patton Elementary and Stoner Creek Elementary in Mt. Juliet when LaGuardo Elementary opens next year. In addition, Mt. Juliet Middle would accommodate more students, some from West Wilson Middle.

West Elementary and Stoner Creek Elementary are at 100 percent capacity, and the rezoning would alleviate that, according to Mayfield. He discussed the proposed plan with about 80 parents of district students at Mt. Juliet High School on Sept. 12. The district's goal is to have 650 students in each of the four elementary schools.

During the board meeting, several people spoke about the rezoning during citizen comment, and the board spent nearly 50 minutes discussing options for the rezoning plan that would allow students to remain at their school.

“The number of maps we've looked at of Mt. Juliet (say there will be) 2,202 new developments in the Stoner Creek (zone),” Padilla said. “West (zone) has 1,100; Mt Juliet Middle School (zone has) 1,207 and West Wilson Middle (zone has) 4,200. For each new development, (we plan) an average of 1.5 students (per house).”

Padilla asked about a plan to rezone just West Elementary. Mayfield told him, “If you rezone just West and not the middle schools, the middle school enrollment will stay where it is. West Wilson, if you don't do anything about it, will have almost 1,500 (students). The only way to mitigate that is to move some of those kids somewhere else. Do you split up an elementary school zone to do that or what? That's the question.”

Board Chairman Jamie Farough and board member Kimberly McGee said they went through the public side of the rezoning.

“I've been through this and it's horrible, so I think you deserve a response when you come here,” Farough told the audience. “I think overcrowding is a safety issue. I promise you these decisions are not made lightly because children are not just a number. They need to be protected too. Overcrowding is a safety issue. I think there's room for compassion there.”

She also said the number of emails and comments she has received about this particular rezoning is much lower than what she received after West Elementary was not rezoned and the district placed portables on school property. She said this was not popular, especially after Stoner Creek Elementary and West Wilson Middle were destroyed by tornadoes in 2020, she said.

Tornado shelters are now required in all new buildings, but Mayfield said the district cannot retrofit all schools due to cost.