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CMCSS Public Meeting on Proposed Rezoning

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System
The logo of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System

Montgomery County, TN – The Clarksville Montgomery County School Board held a Public Meeting on the Proposed Rezoning tonight at 5:30pm. Approximately 100 concerned citizens were in attendance along with Kaye Jones supporting her constituents in Ward 11. Also in attendance were two Montgomery County Commissioners which was appreciated by both the citizens and the board.

All citizens who wished to speak were asked to sign in and given three minutes to voice their opinion on the proposed rezoning to the board. This was primarily due to the large interest in speaking to the board on this matter.

Mr. James Sumrell, Chief Operating Officer for CMCSS opened the public meeting with a presentation on the proposed rezoning. He presented a map which depicted the zones as they stand today as well as a map with the proposed zones. Also included were current and projected attendance of each school.

Once Mr. Sumrell completed his presentation, the citizens were provided the opportunity to speak. Without exception, every citizen who spoke was opposed to the rezoning plan and urged the board to reconsider the current proposal.

Of the topics of concern that were amplified throughout the public session, the resounding theme was that of safety, a sense of community within the current zones and the fact that many Families had researched schools and purchased in particular school zones.

Also resounding was the involvement of parents in schools as well as the impact the proposed rezoning could have on children concerned. Some Families have been rezoned as many as four times over the past few years according to speakers.

A point of concern that could not be overlooked is the potential rezoning of an area surrounding one of Clarksville’s public housing developments from Rossview to Kenwood. It is not certain whether the board took such a proposal in consideration to date nor whether a demographic study had been completed prior to submission of the proposal.

Lastly, the statement made by Mr. Sumrell in respect to declining enrollment at Kenwood High School received queries by more than one speaker. Two speakers suggested that the decline was possibly due to issues within the school which have caused parents to disenroll their children from Kenwood High School, however there is no evidence at this time to support or refute such a suggestion.

The meeting ended at 6:30pm with statements from the board chairman, Mr. Jimmy Garland and board member Ms. Eula Dowdy addressing the audience. The board will meet next Tuesday, September 13th 2011, in a closed session to vote on the rezoning plan with letters going out to those Families impacted within the week.
If you have comments or concerns about the proposed school rezoning, you can contact the school board members or email feedback@cmcss.net.

Video from News Channel 2

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