NEWS

Maury Budget Committee holds off on considering $50 million for new elementary school

Kerri Bartlett
The Daily Herald
Bulldozers line up to begin construction on the new Battle Creek High School in Spring Hill in 2022.

The Maury County Budget Committee voted earlier this month, 7-0, not to consider a $50 million request to construct a new elementary school in Spring Hill.

Some commissioners expressed their concern over the high-dollar funding and a decrease in growth numbers in MCPS overall.

According to Eric Perryman, assistant superintendent of operations, a new elementary school is needed in north Columbia to accommodate growth for a slew of new developments under construction, where Columbia meets Spring Hill.

MCPS Superintendent Lisa Ventura emphasized the district's need to fund its capital projects requests, including the elementary school, new buses and athletic projects.

"We have worked on these requests for multiple years. These requests don't come to you willy-nilly. These requests don't come on a whim," Ventura said. "We have had a five-year plan in Maury County for multiple years."

The fastest-growing elementary school is Battle Creek Elementary, which will need to be rezoned fairly soon, Perryman said.

"We looked at population patterns to determine the need for a school in the area of Spring Hill. We monitor [a growth] map from year to year, a heat map that shows how many children are in each household," Perryman said.

The number of developments is growing along Nashville Highway in northern Columbia and Spring Hill, including 700-unit plus developments like Carter's Station, the Drumright property, new developments along Greens Mill Road and new apartment complexes.

Although some of the developments are still under construction, Perryman emphasized that in two to three years, families with children will be living there.

Commissioner concerned about decreased student population

Commissioner Gabe Howard said he is concerned about a decrease in the MCPS student population as a whole, in contrast with the growth in Spring Hill. A current district growth report shows a reduction of students, or almost a 1 to 2% decrease in growth, over the past few years.

"The most alarming thing is our schools are barely growing at all. ... The district retracted by .65% in student population last year."

For example, Whitthorne Middle School had 1,400 seats and is now down to 1,000 seats, or a 25% reduction.

"That's a massive reduction in a school site," Howard said.

Commissioner Ray Jeter pointed out that the student populations at private schools are growing across the county, as well as homeschool. Columbia Academy had 24% growth over three years, for example.

More:'Rural dream': Families flock to private schools for smaller environment, Classical focus

"It is my recommendation to not approve the $50 million today because I don't think you are ready for it," Howard said.

Howard made a motion not to consider the $50 million capital request for an elementary school in Spring Hill, and the other committee members agreed unanimously.

Howard also said he prefers to have a maximum price cited for the school, instead of fluctuating funding like the judicial center under construction that has reached $30 million.

"We do not have a guaranteed maximum price in the Judicial Center. I want to move away from that," Howard said.

Larger school buildings needed

On June 6, the school board will consider a $4 million resolution to purchase more than 25 acres in northern Columbia to build the new elementary school. If the funding is approved, architecture plans and construction bidding for the property could take place as early as next March with a target opening date of August 2025.

Perryman said the new elementary school in Spring Hill, when designed, will serve as a model, or template for all elementary schools in the county with a capacity of 900, allowing for more seats than elementary schools in the past.

"If we open a school, and it's full in the next five years, that's a failure," Perryman said.

He also explained that new school buildings need to be built with a larger capacity.

"We went through a not-fun task of closing an elementary school [McDowell Elementary, one of the oldest school buildings] in Columbia," Perryman said. "Schools are built for a 50 to 60-year lifecycle. Baker Elementary School is aging, 63 years. Brown is 57 years old. They look nice and feel nice and smell nice, but they are underneath the surface are not in the best of shape."

Baker also has a two-inch water line that serves the whole building.

"We look at how much longer can that school age? When do those buildings age out? Is it fair for children and adults to work in those buildings. We have lots of little schools that hold 300 kids. They have the same administrative staff than in the schools that hold 900."

The population of MCPS is 12,296 students as of May 18.

"I understand these decisions are hard. I hope that our spirit of collaboration shows through. I hope you understand we are working hard for children every day," Ventura said to budget committee members before leaving the May meeting to attend a high school graduation.