Kristen Richardson and Kelly Burgess aren’t Ravenwood High School students but they’ve spent the last three weeks doing more homework than most students do in a semester.

Richardson, a CPA, and Burgess, a sales professional, have been crunching numbers. They, along with key group of other residents of east Cool Springs neighborhoods targeted to be rezoned from Ravenwood to Centennial High School, are trying to figure out how and if the proposed rezoning of their homes will make the long-term difference needed to alleviate overcrowding at the east Brentwood high school the Williamson County Schools’ Central Office staff says it will.

Surprisingly, neither Richardson nor Burgess has children at Ravenwood – yet. Both have eighth graders at Woodland Middle School. Richardson also has a sixth grader, a first grader at Crockett Elementary and a 2-year-old at home. In addition to her eighth grader, Burgess’ has a sixth grader at Woodland.

The two live in the Cool Springs East development just off of Carothers Parkway; Richardson in The Knolls, Burgess in The Woods. They have spent hours over the past three weeks researching the proposal and developing a presentation to make at the WCS Board of Education when it meets in special called session Monday, Nov. 30.

Feeder system No. 1 concern
The strongest piece of the parents’ argument against the rezoning is the feeder system that the school system has carefully honed, Richardson said. From Kenrose and Crockett elementary schools, to Woodland Middle and on into Ravenwood, parents are connected from Day One, she said. Daily emails and “Backpack Express’ notices include information not only about elementary and/or middle school events, but news from Ravenwood as well.

“They always have Ravenwood in it – their fundraisers, their sports, everything,” Richardson said. “Ravenwood students come to Woodland and do mentoring. And Woodland students are encouraged to wear red and black to support high school events. When Ravenwood opened, it even took Woodland’s red and black (school colors) to foster a sense of unity.

“We are immersed in the culture; we go to football games and participate in Ravenwood fundraisers.”

“This is a community. We are as involved with each other as we are with the school,” Richardson said.

“The volunteer base and sense of community at Ravenwood is huge,” Burgess added. “We shouldn’t be punished for that, we should be rewarded.”

Bound to Brentwood
Burgess noted that the neighborhoods identify with Brentwood in other areas as well. “We play Civitan baseball, and Brentwood Blaze football. We’re in Brentwood clubs and activities,” she said.

Before Ravenwood opened in 2002, the neighborhoods that existed in east Cool Springs were zoned for Centennial, located on Mallory Lane across I-65. County school officials specifically came to those residents and asked them to buy in and support the new high school, Richardson explained.

“We were participating in those early fundraisers,” she said. “We raised money for band uniforms, band instruments.”

Beyond the bond to Ravenwood they feel, Richardson said “the biggest objection is that you’re stripping away a very small section of students.”

It is a numbers game, said Richardson, who after studying the numbers in the WCS proposals has concluded that “once you start chiseling away at them, their numbers just are not there.”

The school system estimates approximately 200 students would move from RHS to Centennial if the rezoning passes. Currently, Ravenwood has approximately 1900 students and Centennial has 1300. School Board chairman Pat Anderson has said 1800 students is the optimum high school population.

“It’s not even a Band-Aid, it’s a butterfly stitch,” Burgess said of the plan.

County, homeowners share money worries
The Williamson County Commission recently turned down a request for funding for a new southeast Williamson County high school that would compensate for the population burst in east Brentwood, Nolensville and northeastern Franklin.

With an election year ahead, coupled with the current economy, Burgess said she can understand that the County Commission is “in a bad spot” when it comes to approving new schools. But she noted that schools are the No. 1 draw to Williamson County for people looking to relocate, and individual school zones are also a huge factor for many when deciding where to buy a home.

Which brought up the parents’ next concern, which is property values.

“I think there is a reality that our values will adjust,” Burgess said.  

Time frame questioned
Another concern is the action’s timing. Board members only received notice of the Ravenwood proposal the first week of November. A public information session where school board members and Central Office staff met with affected residents was held Nov. 19th in the Ravenwood cafeteria. The special called meeting, where a vote is expected to take place, was scheduled for Nov. 30, the day after a five-day Thanksgiving break.

Richardson and Burgess said the group they have worked with to fashion a presentation on behalf of their neighborhoods has been rushed, as they feel the entire process has been.

 “We are asking for a ‘no’ because they haven’t come up with a real solution to the overcrowding,” Richardson said. They want the board to spend more time asking questions and discussing options, instead of just accepting the Central Office’s proposal. They hope the views and ideas offered Nov. 19 will be considered. They also question the timing given that Michael Looney, the county’s new Director of Schools, begins the very next day.

“Companies I’ve worked for would not do this. It would be pushed back,” said Richardson of making a big decision right before a change of command.

“I would take a delay,” Burgess said. “We may end up being rezoned, but it might take a bigger part of Woodland. Right now it’s an itty, bitty piece. It makes no sense.”

Richardson and Burgess shared several other concerns, among them bus routes. They also worry about some of the backlash they’ve heard from the greater community and online blogs that they are elitist or feel that Centennial isn’t as good a school as Ravenwood.

“Our neighborhoods certainly aren’t exclusive,” the two said of Cool Springs East, which includes The Knolls, The Woods, The Villages and The Meadows. They called it a melting pot with more diversity than most neighborhoods in the area. They stressed again their overriding issue is the connection the neighborhoods have to Brentwood and Ravenwood, not Franklin and Centennial.

Monday meeting first come, first in
WCS’ Executive Committee, comprised of Anderson and acting director of schools Dr. David Heath, has arranged for Monday night’s 6 p.m. meeting to take place in the auditorium in the County Administration Complex in Franklin. The capacity is 134 persons, which will be strictly enforced.

Fifteen minutes of public comment will be allowed at the beginning of the meeting. A sign up sheet will be put out at 5:30 p.m. in the auditorium for those who wish to participate. Speakers will be heard on a first come, first served basis. The amount of time given to each speaker will be determined by the number of people who sign up. That number may be limited.

Also on the Nov. 30 agenda is a proposed rezoning of some Bethesda Elementary students.