If you caught the article in The Daily Times on September 11 entitled "Maryville Schools to Reach Capacity in Ten Years", and actually got past the misleading (yet comforting) title, then you may be aware of the critical situation that Maryville City Schools finds itself in Link... . As the title implies, MCS will reach capacity in ten years, however three of its schools are already past their maximum capacity. The future of the school system really is being shaped at this time, with decisions to be made about how to handle overcrowding and growth, and also with the retirement of Director of Schools, Mike Dalton.
I have blogged here before about the importance of maintaining small schools and I strongly believe in this. I believe that small student popultations are one of the most important factors in providing a quality educational experience for children. I would like to see MCS make this a priority for the future as well. If you agree, I hope you will make the time to support quality education in your community (whether you are a parent or not) and come give voice to your questions and concerns at one or all of the upcoming meetings. Here is the announcement:

The Maryville Board of Education is working to develop plans for facilities throughout the Maryville City school district to accommodate students both now and in the future. We are seeking input and invite parents and all public education stakeholders to participate in these public forums:

September 18
9:00 AM
Maryville Municipal Building

September 18
7:00 PM
Foothills Elementary

September 24
7:00 PM
John Sevier Elementary

Also, you may be aware that Dr. Dalton, our Director of Schools, will be retiring in December. The Tennessee School Board Association will lead a series of discussion groups on Tuesday, September 18, 2007. Throughout the day, employees and other community members will participate in input sessions. The public is invited to attend the session scheduled on September 18th at 5:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at Maryville High School. We hope to hear from parents and the community about their views on issues and challenges facing our school system and our new Director of Schools.

Please come and help shape the future of education in Maryville!

Maryville High School - To Expand or Not To Expand

How many people in Maryville are aware that Maryville High School is considering expanding at its current location using Eminent Domain to consume as many as 30 homes/properties in its neighborhood?

How many people in Maryville are aware that smaller schools are actually better for our kids? MHS has a current population of roughly 1500 students. If they expand they will create a facility to accomodate upwards of 2000 students. This is far from an ideal environment for our children as drop out rates and violence increase and participation, emotional well-being and parental involvement DEcrease. Please check out this great article: Link... . Yes, there are benefits to larger schools such as more extra curricular programs and a more "state-of-the-art" facility, but is this worth the expense in quality of education and student well being? As the large high schools are failing all over the country, there is a national movement back to smaller, community based schools. Funding is available through government and private institutions such as the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.

Link...

Aside from this, MHS resides in a very old and established neighborhood. This neighborhood is sandwiched between two historic districts and could be considered historic itself. Lamar Alexander grew up in this neighborhood. Many families will be displaced and the integrity of the neighborhood will be destroyed. Traffic is already a heavy burden here making roads questionably safe for kids to travel to and from school. Expansion will only make this worse.

Please - LET'S PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF MARYVILLE. Let's stop a Mega-Highschool from being created in our community. Let's stop destruction of historic neighborhoods. Please contact your elected officials and school board members and tell them you want preservation, not destruction, in your Maryville.