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St. Johns Parents Concerned About Rezoning of Schools They Say Students Need Consistency

Posted on: Friday, 23 December 2005, 18:00 CST

By KEN LEWIS

ST. AUGUSTINE -- Worried about their children being sent to different schools, a group of parents aired their fears Monday during a St. Johns County School Board workshop about rezoning elementary and middle schools to reduce overcrowding.

Parents such as Lynda Follenweider said they were concerned about the "instability" produced when neighborhoods are zoned to different public schools than the ones children have been using. The contested process is used to spread students evenly through a county whose schools draw residents such as Follenweider, who moved here with her son's education in mind.

"Since then, we have been rezoned three times in three years," she said.

The School Board voted to bring up the subject again in a public meeting Jan. 13.

Two schools, Timberlin Creek Elementary School and Switzerland Point Middle School, will be affected most by the what the board calls the "relief plans." Timberlin has 988 students and Switzerland has 1,129. Within three years, the school system expects 1,656 at Timberlin and 2,002 at Switzerland. After that, it expects 1,968 at Timberlin and 2,563 at Switzerland.

Proposals that affect myriad neighborhoods along County Road 210 and other parts of northwest St. Johns County would spread those increases to other schools, such as Hickory Creek Elementary School and Sebastian Middle School.

The potentially affected neighborhoods include the following: Cimarrone, Durbin Crossing, St. Johns Forest, The Vinings, Countryside, Whitelock Farms, Greenbriar Plantation, Vestcor Plantation, Stonehurst, Southlake, Wingfield Glenn, South Hampton, Equestrian Way, Breakaway Trails, Johns Creek, and individual homes in the northwest part of the county. The neighborhoods are home to thousands of people.

Parents at the workshop waved signs with their children's pictures on them, and 14 addressed the board.

Bruce Natter, father of a 6-year-old boy, was worried about the safety of the bus ride. He said the district seems to be "shuffling students between schools, and St. Johns Forest is being lost in the shuffle."

Another parent, Jen Eurillo, said the children need "consistency."

"We are asking for a long-term solution that does not bounce our children between schools from year to year," Eurillo said.

The board did not commit to any of the proposals from staff because the meeting was for informational purposes. Board member Bill Fehling said he needed more information.

Superintendent Joseph Joyner told the crowd that he and the board are committed to making small schools and that he will not recommend "mega-schools." But the state requires the county to "equitably distribute students" throughout the existing schools before new ones are approved.

"It's our hope to have as much stability as possible within the constraints of what we can control," Joyner said.ken.lewis@jacksonville.com, (904) 819-3546GROWING SCHOOLSHow the St. Johns County school system and the northwest portion of the district have grown during the past few years: NorthwestYear Students students2001-02 20,335 5,8752002-03 21,327 6,6422003- 04 22,542 7,5872004-05 23,929 8,5142005-06 25,248 9,791Source: St. Johns County school system

Source: Florida Times Union

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