KNS:

Heritage High School became the first high school in the U.S. to win $100,000 from U.S. Cellular's "Calling All Communities" promotion

WATE:

The first phase of the project will require the demolition of three apartment buildings that sit adjacent to the east end of the school, across Cedar Street.

...There's also a long term plan that would take an entire block of homes on South Cedar Street, including Jeff Weaver's, but the city still doesn't have enough money to buy them.

Residents express concerns about uncertainties, getting a fair value for their properties, and more.

Tomorrow's 5:30 meeting of the Planning Commission includes in its agenda a section on Long Range Planning. Three really important items stand out:

Here are the links to the supporting documents, the first being the agenda:

a - agenda for November 20, 2007
b - memo on amendments to subdivision regulations public h…
c - memo on rezoning public hearing for 11-20-07
d - memo on plat reviews for 11-20-07 _minus attachments_
e - memo on long range agenda items for 11-20-07 _minus en…

Might be a good meeting to attend, if you are interested in better understanding the process of how regulations are created. (And if your turkey is thawed.)

The Daily Times reports Link... that 6 schools are now on the list of those that are "Intolerably Overcrowded." They began making this annual report several years back after a conversation with the Planning Commission about how planning for residential development should be coordinated with available infrastructure. At the time, the Planning Commission was willing to limit residential development in those school districts to minor subdivisions (those having under 5 houses per subdivision).

Of course, that went by the wayside shortly after last year's report came out and the Planning Commission disagreed with the school board's direction in solving the overcrowding problems. Link...

How do YOU think the Planning Commission should use the information from the schools? Should they just ignore it? Should they reinstitute the 4-lot limit in those districts until the school building program can catch up? If not that, then what should planning around school availability look like?

The BC Education Committee meets on Sept 11

From Link...

Now what are your concerns and comments on the agenda? What do you want to know?

I would like to know what if anything is being done about those SROs that are no longer in all the schools.

AGENDA

EducationCommittee
Tuesday,September11,2007-12:00noon

Blount County Schools Central Office
Members: Chairman JohnKeeble, Gerald Kirby, Joe McCulley, Kenneth Melton,Bob Proffitt, Wendy Pitts Reeves, and Steve Hargis.
1. Approval of minutes of August7,2007.
2. Public Input on Items on the Agenda.
3. Reports:
A. Maintenance/Construction Report.
B. Reports regarding Carpenters Athletic Fields,New Union Grove and Townsend
Schools Construction.
C. Financial Report.
4. Old Business:
A. Discussion Regarding New School property on north end of BlountCounty.
5. New Business:
A. Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Report to Full Commission Concerning
Each County School’s Core Capacity and Current Enrollment.
B. Discussion Regarding Report Concerning Student Testing and No Child Left
Behind.
C. Other.

Given that the School System eats up around 60% of the Blount County budget, a pretty momentous event will be taking place tonight at 7 p.m. in the Blount County School Central Office on Grandview Drive. There will be a School Board Meeting and each September, they choose a new chairman. Here are the school board members: Link....

The possibilities are many. Any one of the current board members could theoretically be elected.

The current chairman is Mike Treadway, who works for an architectural firm and serves on the joint construction committee, amongst other committees. He could be selected to serve another year.

And while school board seats are non-partisan by state law, former chairman of the Blount County Republican party John Davis could be selected. He's also a retired teacher and administrator.

Or Charles Finley, retired teacher and administrator.

Or Don McNelly, who holds a doctorate in education and was a professor in the school of education at UT.

Or Chris Cantrell, formerly of the Sheriff's department.

Or Booty Miller, retired teacher and administrator (although not likely, since he already served in this capacity and was passed over when his term expired a couple of years ago).

Or Rob Webb, who works for Rural Metro.

These meetings are always worth attending, given their huge impact on our tax rate.

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.