Rumor Mill-5189
Published August 30, 2012
The purpose of this section is to answer any questions parents, teachers or community members might have regarding the school district and to set the record straight in regards to any rumors that might be circulating.
If you have a question or have heard a rumor that you would like for us to address, simply SEND US your questions and we will respond to them in upcoming issues of IN FOCUS. Below are some of the questions we received since our last issue.
What ever happened to the foreign language program that was going to be implemented at the elementary school level?
Williamson County Schools is working hard to determine the best curriculum, instructional practices and organization of foreign language instruction for elementary students. Ms. Meng Fanhua and Ms. You Jia are working with the Curriculum Department to develop a curriculum for Mandarin Chinese, taking into account various instructional scenarios. At the same time, Ms. Christi Gilliland, WCS Foreign Language Curriculum Specialist, is developing a curriculum for Spanish.
Additionally, the district is experimenting with Rosetta Stone software as an instructional delivery method for both languages, either as a stand-alone or as part of a blended approach in which instruction is part online and part in person. Once the district has enough information to make the best choices for students, recommendations will be taken to the School Board for action.
Out of curiosity, what does the county pay in terms of school grounds maintenance (e.g. cutting grass, weeding, etc.)?
Williamson County Schools does not own or maintain any lawn equipment nor do we employ any lawn service personnel on staff. The district places this service out for bid every five years. The WCS outsourced lawn service is currently in year three of a five year contract.
WCS currently maintains approximately 1,170 acres of campus and related property spread out over 43 locations around Williamson County. There are two awarded lawn contractors that are commissioned to maintain all 43 properties. The total cost of these two combined contracts for the current fiscal year is $398,671. This contract sum covers lawn services during the mowing season, April through October.
It is important to note that in consideration of this sum, our budgeted lawn contract specifically provides grass cutting/mowing, line-trimming, blowing off sidewalks, curbs and parking lots, reasonable to nominal debris clean-up/removal and some herbicide weed treatment around concrete or paved areas.
As an additional savings to taxpayers, the contract allows for suspension of services during times of drought. What the contract does not cover is grooming or manicuring of lawns or sports-fields; nor does the contract provide weeding or mulching beds, flower beds nor shrub maintenance nor fertilization or pre-emergent. Typically, these “beautification” efforts are accomplished by individual school PTO or volunteer groups and athletic boosters.
In addition to the above mentioned budget, WCS also contributes (in a separate budget) a nominal supplement for athletic field maintenance to each Middle and High School. The field maintenance supplements vary between $1,000 - $8,000 per school, per year. The respective dollar amount for field maintenance is determined by the principal during the annual budget process.
Do you have to get fingerprinted every year to be a school volunteer?
No. The Tier 3 check is a one-time check that will clear the volunteer from that point forward, with the caveat that each volunteer is responsible for reporting any subsequent events. The fingerprint check is a one-time check even if your child transitions to a new school, unless there is just cause.
I have a child at Clovercroft Elementary, which has seen an unexpected number of new enrollees this year. My fear is that Clovercroft will reach capacity by next year, just three years into our new school. At the same time, it is my understanding that Trinity Elementary is still far below capacity. When the zones were redrawn for the 2011-2012 school year, we were told that the maps were designed to consider 5 year growth. Will we be forced through another rezoning before the rest of the district?
The district is continuing to experience growth in that area along with other areas of the county. The opening of Clovercroft Elementary School has created a mini-housing boom in the general area of the school. This will add pressure to the district's Five Year Capital Outlay Plan.
The School Board is purchasing land off of Nolensville Road for a high school and for another school which could be an elementary, middle or K-8 school. The district is also looking for land for an elementary school in the southern part of the county. The School Board will revisit the five year plan construction plan this fall.
Lipscomb Elementary and Brentwood Middle School are at the point of overcrowding this year. It is my understanding that the apartment/condo complex being built on the corner of Moores Lane and Franklin Road are zoned for Lipscomb and Brentwood Middle. What zoning changings will be implemented in the short term to deal with this situation before the larger rezoning occurs with the new high school being built in Nolensville?
Student enrollment growth continues at a fast pace. There are a surprising number of new families in the Brentwood area schools, primarily due to existing housing turnover. This development was unexpected, and the district will continue to monitor how it will impact the district's projections and plans moving forward.