Rumor Mill – February 12, 2016

Published February 12, 2016

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 InFocus. Below are some of the questions we have received since our last issue.

One of last week’s Rumor Mill questions raised more questions. Some of us are completely clueless regarding the possibility of changing start times. What brought this up to begin with? Which schools will be considered for change? And most importantly is it earlier or later? Those of us who know nothing of this are grateful for any information.

In 2015, a sleep specialist presented research to the Williamson County School Board which indicated that adolescents may benefit from later start times. At its January work session, the Board delayed a decision on whether to start high schools about 20 minutes later than usual with Board members saying they would like to have more community input before considering a vote on delayed school times. That is why the district is now in the process of scheduling community meetings. We will announce those meeting dates and times in a future issue of InFocus.

Will you please lay to rest the rumor that Page High is going to become Page Middle and Page Middle is going to become an elementary school?

There is no truth to this rumor, and there has been no discussion to that effect.

With Nolensville High school opening next fall, would Ravenwood High School allow open enrollments for students who are coming from Woodland Middle School but are rezoned to Centennial High School? This is due to recent zoning in the Cool Spring area (Village and the Woods subdivision). Most of our students’ friends go to Ravenwood and only a few will go to Centennial. Or, is there any chance of rezoning these neighborhoods to Ravenwood High again?

Ravenwood High School is projected to remain over its stated building capacity for the next two years. Additionally, the Woodland Middle/Ravenwood zone is experiencing tremendous growth. District staff do not typically recommend schools that are over-capacity to be rezoned. The zoning in the Cool Springs area was established in 2010 beginning with the 2011-12 school year.

The School Board will vote on open zoned schools at its March 28 meeting.