Wilson County School Board approves rezoning | Lebanon

After the rezonings, Elzie D. Patton Elementary would be at 75% capacity, West Elementary at 59%, and Stoner Creek Elementary at 64%. Mt. Juliet Middle School would be at 91% capacity and West Wilson Middle School at 79%. At opening, LaGuardo Elementary School would be at 65% capacity.

Jamie Farough, chairman of the Wilson County School Board and representative of Zone 7, made the motion to approve the rezoning plans, which would allow graduating students and their siblings to remain in their current school.

“I think overcrowding is a safety issue and I assure you these decisions are not made lightly because children are not just a number, they need to be protected and overcrowding is a safety issue,” Farough said. “I think there is room for compassion here and that's why I made the motion to let the graduating class and their siblings stay, siblings, to make it easier for the parents. I think we will have the room to do that.”

Denver Kennison spoke to the board on behalf of the Tuscan Glen neighborhood about concerns raised following a meeting regarding the proposed rezoning.

“At that meeting, when we looked at the maps, we realized that two streets in our neighborhood were excluded from the rest of our neighborhood,” Kennison said.

Kennison said the neighborhood has communicated with Travis Mayfield, assistant superintendent of Wilson County Schools, who has been looking into the matter.

The two streets belonged to the neighboring Park Glen residential area and not to Tuscan Gardens, where residents pay their HOA dues.

“We would like to stay with Tuscan Gardens when rezoning,” Kennison said.

Kennison said there will be a meeting with Mt. Juliet City Council later this week for the two streets known as the Tuscan Glen neighbourhood.

Mayfield stated that the maps had been altered to group the two streets with the Tuscan Gardens.

Josh Randall spoke to the board about zoning for students in the Elzie D. Patton Elementary School area.

“Currently, this school district is unique in that students are split when they get to middle school,” Randall said. “The kids who live west of Mt. Juliet Road go to Mt. Juliet Middle School and then Green Hill High School, while the kids who live on the east side of Mt. Juliet Road go to West Wilson Middle and then Mt. Juliet High School.”

Randall said that while the proposed map appears to attempt to address that issue, it does not provide a complete picture of district division for the high schools or for students who, like his daughter, are in the middle of their middle school years.

“I am asking you not to approve the currently proposed rezoning of the middle school in its current form,” Randall said. “If changes are ever needed in the future, please map out the entire path students take from elementary school to high school, and when and if zoning changes are made, please make exceptions for students who are still in the middle of their school careers.”

Farough said there were no changes to the high school's rezoning and therefore it was not included in the maps.

Ryan Rushing spoke on behalf of the Stone Hollow community and asked that the neighborhood remain zoned for Stoner Creek Elementary.

“Stoner Creek Elementary has become a part of our community,” Rushing said. “For years, our family has built relationships with teachers, staff and each other. Rezoning our neighborhood would not only destroy those strong relationships, but also the emotional and social stability of our children.”