LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. — A proposed school rezoning in Limestone County is still stirring the pot for some parents in the district. FOX54 spoke with a few parents who share their concerns and experiences.
Jason Sanders lives in the Creekside, East Limestone School district and believes the recent Limestone County Schools rezoning proposal is all a matter of school choice. "I do not support rezoning the school districts. Given that we don't have school choice, all we can do is try to buy a home that is in the zone where we want to send our kids to school."
Limestone County Schools Superintendent Dr. Randy Shearouse explains that rezoning is just the best thing they can do. "We're really looking at all of those subdivision lots that have been approved. and even though growth is sometimes hard to estimate exactly when it's going to take place or how many students you're going to get, East Limestone, and Creekside, they've had that positive growth. And now, they're nearing capacity, or at capacity, or above capacity."
Marla Miller said her daughter transitioned from East Limestone High School to Ardmore when she was in sixth grade. "It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened for my daughter. The teachers there are welcoming and supportive, and the Special Ed Department knows their stuff. I've been doing IEPs meetings for ten years now and this is the first time they've got it right. All of the resources that my daughter needed to be successful have been provided."
Sanders continued that he certainly understands the pressure that's put on the schools. "However, what I also see is that's a lot of tax revenue that's also moved to the area. And if we pay our taxes, what we believe is that we should see that reflected in the growth of the school rather than saying, well, hey, thanks for your support, but now we want you to go to another school."