Hamilton County School Board Passes Capacity Policy

MGN

HAMILTON COUNTY — The Hamilton County School Board has passed a new policy targeting capacity in schools.

This comes in the wake of residential growth and quickly filling schools.

“The responsibility as a school board is to plan ahead in a way which protects instruction quality, maintains manageable class sizes, and avoids placing unnecessary burdens on taxpayers and stakeholder. During my campaign, I pledged to contract a preparedness plan for inevitable growth, and that is exactly what this policy resolution brings. Building a new school or expanding existing schools requires tens of millions of dollars and extensive operational costs. With existing infrastructure limitations related to traffic, roads, and sewer capacity, such expansion in certain areas including District two is not practical nor fiscally responsible.”

– School Board Member Ben Daugherty said.

The policy will establish enrollment boundaries for future residential development within the Signal Mountain School Zone.

Future students from newly developed areas would attend nearby schools with available capacity rather than overcrowding Nolan Elementary, Thrasher Elementary, or Signal Mountain Middle/High, according to Daugherty.

Capacity measurements will be brought to the school board to be reviewed annually.