School Rezoning Plan Approved By BOE

VESTAVIA HILLS, AL - The Vestavia Hills school board voted unanimously in favor of an elementary school rezoning plan presented by Superintendent Todd Freeman.

The plan, which can be viewed here spreads elementary students evenly across Cahaba Heights, Gresham (which will be called Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge), Vestavia Hills Elementary East, Vestavia Hills Elementary West and Liberty Park Elementary. It will take effect in 2019-20.

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Vestavia Hills Elementary Central will be shut down after the 2018-19 school year, with those students and staff members dispersed among the other schools. Students at East, West and Dolly Ridge will go to Pizitz Middle School, while students at Cahaba Heights and Liberty Park will go to Liberty Park Middle School. Ninth grade students will attend a ninth-grade center to be located at the current Pizitz facility.

During the month of June, all stakeholders were invited to provide feedback on the three rezoning options through an online survey and two community forums. Freeman said the board received more than 430 comments through the survey as well as numerous emails and calls.

He said comments included questions on the comparability of staff, resources, and academic programs at each school; traffic congestion and transportation to multiple schools; start and end times for schools; condition and readiness of facilities; and long-range capital plans to address population growth.

"I want to express my appreciation to the many parents, community members, and all stakeholders of Vestavia Hills City Schools for the input you gave throughout this important process," Freeman said. "It was a privilege to meet many of you and hear your passion and enthusiasm about the importance of an exceptional education for our future generation. The tradition of success in Vestavia Hills City Schools is in large part because of the strength of family and community engagement."

Freeman added that throughout the course of the upcoming school year, the board's administrative team will be implementing its plan to have schools ready for operation in August, 2019. "We will keep you apprised of our progress and welcome your feedback along the way," he said.

Photo via City of Vestavia Hills