Student Population Growth Impacting Canton Schools

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The 2015-16 Cherokee County Inventory of School Housing shows the impact of returning enrollment growth, and indicates several areas where additional classroom space soon will be needed.

That’s according to the Cherokee County School District, which released its annual report on Friday.

“While significantly different from the first 14 years of my tenure as superintendent of schools, 2015-16 marks the third consecutive year when none of the school district’s schools are considered ‘critically overcrowded,’ which reflects long-standing successful management practices and school board policies governing student enrollment growth forecasts and school construction project planning,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo said on Friday.

The above chart uses this school year’s 20-day enrollment count to measure the percentage of overcrowding. The district’s 20th day of school was Aug. 28, 2015.

School board policy defines “critically overcrowded” as when a school exceeds 140 percent of its enrollment capacity and meets other criteria, including use of all existing portable classrooms.

According to the board’s policy, the impact of actual student enrollment is evaluated annually after the 20th day of classes, “which is when attendance traditionally peaks, to determine critically overcrowded schools and what, if any, action is needed,” the school system said.

The effort to eliminate “critical overcrowding” in the district began in 2001, with an aggressive, multi-tiered Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax plan recommended by Petruzielo and subsequently proposed by a Blue Ribbon Committee of community leaders.

This plan to bond future sales tax revenue, which has been extended twice by voters over the past decade, continues today with construction of new and replacement middle schools to open campuses that both accommodate current and projected enrollment, but also allow for the grade 6 through 8 model “that provides for more challenging coursework and career and fine arts electives for sixth-graders,” Cherokee County schools added.

Unfortunately, if portable classrooms were not available, 14 schools would be operating at 100 percent or more of their capacity, an increase from 13 last school year.

It should be remembered that, while portable classrooms provide relief for classroom instruction, they do not alleviate overcrowding in media centers, cafeterias, restrooms and hallways. The schools are: Carmel Elementary, Free Home Elementary, Johnston Elementary, Liberty Elementary, Creekland Middle, Dean Rusk Middle, E.T. Booth Middle, Freedom Middle, Mill Creek Middle, Woodstock Middle, Cherokee High, Creekview High, Sequoyah High and Woodstock High schools.

Of those 14, eight are operating at more than 120 percent capacity, which is an increase from seven reaching that level last school year: Free Home at 130 percent; Creekland at 123 percent; Dean Rusk at 135 percent; Mill Creek at 121 percent; Woodstock at 132 percent; Cherokee at 138 percent; Sequoyah at 138 percent; and Woodstock at 132 percent.

Relief was provided to Little River Elementary School this fall with relocation of the Preschool Center on its campus to the Johnston Elementary School campus. This resulted in both more room for kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Little River and adequate space for the relocated preschool program in a more centralized location.

Relief is also on the way to Dean Rusk and Sequoyah, which have the first- and second-highest percentages of overcrowding in the district.

Construction of a new/replacement for Dean Rusk is underway on the same campus, which is on schedule to open for the 2016-17 school year.

“All new and replacement school construction and renovations in the school district are funded by Education SPLOST revenue, thanks to the ongoing support of the community’s voters,” Dr. Petruzielo said.

The superintendent said district staff members are analyzing the new numbers to determine what recommendations may be needed to address overcrowding ”in preparation for the next school years.”

This data is tracked throughout the year ”to monitor not only enrollment growth, but also the local real estate market, development trends, local birth rates and other demographic data in order to best determine when and where new and/or replacement school facilities are needed,” he added.

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Image via Shutterstock; chart via Cherokee County School District