No students will be rezoned from Ravenwood High School next year, following a 6-3 vote of the Williamson County Schools Board of Education Monday night.

In one of two controversial measures on the special called meeting’s agenda, the board was considering changing the high school boundary for a handful of Cool Springs’ area subdivisions and an apartment community from Ravenwood to Centennial. The proposal would have eased overcrowding at Ravenwood, which has a student population of over 1900 now and is projected to grow in coming years. Centennial, with 1300 students, is slightly below capacity.

When all was said and done, 4th District Board Member Tim McLaughlin’s motion to delay the vote one year until a comprehensive, county-wide enrollment study could take place passed. Most of the homes affected by the proposal are in McLaughlin’s district.

The motion passed with an amendment by 6th District representative Terry Leve. The amendment would open zone Brentwood, Centennial and Page high schools to a limited number of Ravenwood students to help ease Ravenwood’s overcrowding during the 2010-11 school year.  

During the 15-minute public comment portion of the two-plus hour meeting, six residents – five adults and one 6th grader -- spoke out against the rezoning.

Kristen Richardson, representing the Cool Springs East development that includes The Woods, The Knolls, The Meadows and The Villages, challenged the district’s figures concerning the actual number of students who would ultimately attend Centennial. She said that once the grandfathering of current Ravenwood students and their siblings were subtracted, the actual number would be significantly lower district projections.

Woodland Middle parent Kelly Burgess spoke about the strong feeder relationship between Kenrose and Crockett elementary schools, Woodland Middle and Ravenwood.

Carronbridge resident Eric George reminded the board that in 2002 his neighborhood was “asked to be a part of the founding families of Ravenwood.”

Stating that he felt strongly that “there is a better way” to address Ravenwood’s overcrowding, George quoted Michael Looney, who becomes the system’s new Director of Schools Tuesday. “If you’re satisfied with the status quo, don’t hire me,” George recalled Looney saying during the interview process. “Mr. Looney is the person to help us get there,” he said.

Prior to Monday night’s meeting, Board Chairman Pat Anderson had explained that with the current economic climate, the Williamson County Commission has charged the school system to utilize existing space wherever and whenever possible to cut down on building costs as well as the cost of renting portable classrooms.

Though several new schools have opened in the past few years and others are in the pipeline, the county commission recently tabled discussion of a proposed east county high school to alleviate overcrowding at Ravenwood and to keep up with continued growth.

After Monday night’s vote, Anderson said she voted against the delay because “the problem still remains. As a board, we may be back with the same proposal next year.”

She noted that the county, and in turn the school board, is facing one its tightest budgets in years. If money is spent on more portables, cuts may have to be made programs and positions. “It just does not make good financial sense,” she said.

Also voting against the measure were Janice Mills and Barry Watkins.

Following the meeting, Leve explained his thoughts behind the amendment he made to McLaughlin’s motion.

“Tim moved to put off a decision for a year while the district looks at a comprehensive, county solution. The district's proposed plan to rezone Ravenwood still had RHS overcrowded this fall.

“Certainly, putting the decision off would not alleviate overcrowding. My motion was simply to open zone the adjoining high schools to a finite number of students given that they each have capacity. To the extent that a few participate in the opportunity, it will help address short-term concerns on a voluntary basis. The district is now charged with finding a long-term comprehensive plan.”

Leve’s amendment passed on a vote of 9-3, with Susan Graham, Mills and Watkins voting no.

Richardson, one of the parents who spent the last three weeks studying the plan, said she was “thrilled” with the decision. “They will take the time and really look at it,” she said.

Asked how she would feel this time next year if the board ultimately decides the rezoning is the right move to make, she said “I will accept it.”

Responding to the same question, Burgess replied, “If I’m very sure they took a comprehensive look at the issue, I would have to (support it) because they did what we asked them to do.”

With everything she has learned about the school district and school funding in the past few weeks, Burgess said she plans to take an active role in the upcoming County Commission election.

The county’s auditorium was packed with an overflow crowd for the 6 p.m. meeting. While a majority were dressed in Ravenwood’s red and black, a small contingent of Centennial students dressed in blue and white attended to defend and support their school, which over the past few weeks has been described by some as not as good a school as Ravenwood.