CHEATHAM CO., Tenn. (WTVF) — The community packed a Cheatham County school board workshop Thursday night to hear the latest on the possibility of school consolidation for Pegram and Kingston Springs elementary schools.
Mayor Bill Anderson presented a potential plan for the future of Pegram Elementary as a South Cheatham Community and Cultural Center. If this plan were to move forward, he said the school building could be remodeled to include satellite offices for the sheriff and county clerk. The community could also see a new library, a community kitchen, and a voting location at the center.
WATCH: Board explores best path forward as elementary schools face declining enrollment
School leaders provided insight into the declining enrollment numbers at each school over the last decade. For the 2016-2017 school year, Pegram Elementary served 236 students from kindergarten through fourth grade. Today, the enrollment sits at 165. Ten years ago at Kingston Springs, the school housed 374 students. Today, the population is 286. School leaders say if the school did consolidate into one, class sizes would remain around the same.
There were concerns expressed on how the county would fund the renovation of Pegram, what consolidation would mean for growth in the community, and capacity limits at Kingston Springs.
"A school board should be to save a school, not let's see if we can dismantle one," said one board member. "I think we are moving too fast, there's too many parts, and these people deserve a chance to save their school."
The board did not formally vote at the work session Thursday night, and consolidation of the two schools will not be voted on at its next meeting. The board agreed to the formation of committee to explore what is the best path forward for students and collect more information on the options of increasing enrollment and possible consolidation. The goal is for the committee to present information to the board in February.
"The whole part of this analysis is student-centric. What is best for the students of the county. Not the parents, not our community partners. What is the best for our students, and how can we offer them the best education with the money we are given."
If you want to have your voice heard on this issue, community members are encouraged to sign up for public comment at the school board's next meeting on Nov. 5.
Do you have more information about this story, or concerns on how this would impact your community? You can email me at Megan.Scarano@NewsChannel5.com
