OBION COUNTY DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS PROVIDES POSSIBLE SCENARIOS/OPTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

Obion County Director of Schools Tim Watkins provided The Current with a list of options for discussion, Tuesday afternoon, which he referenced during the Dec. 16 orientation meeting between the Obion County School Board and the Obion County Commission.  

A complete account of the meeting will be included in the Dec. 18 print and online edition of The Current.

 Watkins pointed out, the options for discussion he provided, are in no particular order of preference or priority.  

"Of course," Watkins said Tuesday afternoon, "our best option is we would want to continue our operations with all schools open."

Closing Ridgemont, to rezone to Hillcrest and Lake Road was one option. That option, according to information provided by Watkins, would result in staff cuts, approximately $1,000,000, to $1,200,000 in salaries and benefits, 10-15 licensed personnel and 7 support; save approximately $100,000 in utilities; the school system's maintenance of the closed building would no longer be required, as the county would then maintain that building; Hillcrest and Lake Road would then be at or very near capacity; all bus routes would go to Lake Road or Hillcrest, with increased fuel costs; ESL programs would move to Lake Road; impact on ESP (after school program) is unknown as grants would be re-written and funds reallocated.

A second option was to close Black Oak and rezone to Hillcrest and Lake Road. That option would result in approximately $1,000,000 to $1,200,000 in salaries and benefits from staff cuts, 10-15 licensed personnel and 7 support; $100,000 in utilities saved; no more maintenance on closed building, as county would then maintain; Hillcrest would be at or near capacity; possible increase of length of bus routes and fuel; same impact regarding ESP; possible rezoning of students currently enrolled at Hillcrest and or Lake Road who are not zoned for those schools to be required to return to the school they are zoned to attend.

A third option is to consolidate the four K-8 schools that feed OCCHS, into three schools based on grade bands, Primary PK-2, Elementary 3-5 and Middle, 6-8 grades, resulting in approximately $1,500,000 in salaries and benefits cut, 15-20 licensed personnel and 6 support; approximately $100,000 in utilities saved; savings on school system's maintenance of closed building; room for growth in all three buildings; bus route changes and fuel increases; updating and repurposing science labs which could be done at a later date; conversion of Title funding from school based to district wide, allowing for efficient use of funding; collaboration, common planning, scheduling would be easier; most effective teachers for each grade level/subject would be staffed at each of those schools; impact on ESP unknown.

A fourth option includes South Fulton High School students moved to Obion County Central High School, South Fulton Elementary students moved to the South Fulton Middle/High School building, and SFMS students remain in that building, with the SFES building to be closed. That option would max teaching capacity in both buildings, with room for growth limited; potential loss of SFHS students because of increased travel distance to OCCHS; cost of converting high school rooms to middle/elementary rooms; approximately $1.3 to $1.4 million in savings in staff salaries and benefits, 10-12 licensed personnel and 9 support; approximately $80,000 in utilities savings; building maintenance on closed building no longer required of the school system; playground equipment would be required to be moved and playgrounds created; conversion of high school restrooms would be required to accommodate for elementary students.

The final listed option provided by Watkins was closing Black Oak and Ridgemont, moving grades 7 and 8 from the four feeder schools to OCCHS, rezone Black Oak and Ridgemont to PK-grade 6 students to Lake Road and Hillcrest. That option would result in not enough open room at OCCHS to absorb needed teachers, with 16 classrooms needed; additional science labs and conversion of current labs would be needed, at a cost of approximately $500,000; cost to convert high school rooms to middle school rooms if needed; approximately $1.5 million savings in staff and salaries and benefits, 12-15 licensed personnel and 13 support; $200,000 savings in utilities costs; bus route changes and fuel increases; Hillcrest near capacity; no future growth at OCCHS; shared athletic facilities for middle school and high school; and least logistically possible at this time.