Williamson County Schools Rezoning Vote Delayed

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By Chris Cannon

FRANKLIN, Tenn - Williamson County School Board members voted Monday night to delay their decision on a controversial rezoning plan.

The district has three new schools it needs to fill with students from several overcrowded schools in the western and southern part of the county.

The board voted to wait until a specially called November 30 meeting to make a decision on rezoning for a Westhaven area elementary school and a new middle school the district is building in the southern part of the county.

"It gives more people time to look at the numbers. That's the biggest thing - give us more time to give a good solution that's amendable to all parties and I think that happened tonight," said concerned parent Mike Knobloch.

The board did approve the rezoning plan for an elementary school in Spring Hill with an unanimous vote.

Parent of students who would be affected by the rezoning have been vocal in their opposition to the plan for several weeks. They felt the district can come up with better options, that will have less of a long-term impact on their children.

Many parents also said the district did not give them enough time to react to the news about the rezoning plan.

"It just seems short notice, forced down our throats," Knobloch told board members during the pubic comment portion of Monday night's meeting.

After the vote to delay the rezoning plan, the crowd cheered the decision. Many of them held signs stating their opposition during the meeting.

The organizers of the grassroots effort to come up with a new rezoning plan said they now have the time they need to bring those options to the board.

"We've been talking to board members individually, on the phone and via email, trying to get more of them to look at other options to benefit our child and our families," concerned parent Holly Neibaur said after the meeting.

The school board also voted on names for two of the three schools Monday night. The new school in the Spring Hill area will be known as Allendale Elementary. The name chosen for the new middle school was Spring Station.

The board will vote on a name for the Westhaven area school at a later date.

Email: ccannon@newschannel5.com