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The new
school planning process came about because of the Consent Order agreed to in
August 2008 by the School Board and the U.S. Dept of Justice. The Consent
Order calls for a new school to be built to replace Jefferson and Somerville
elementary schools. It also provides that building the new school is
contingent upon the County Commission appropriating and approving funds for
the construction.
The Consent
Order’s requirement to build a new school supercedes the disregarded 1975
Court Order to close Somerville Elementary and merge its attendance zone
with that of an enhanced Jefferson Elementary School facility.
An agreement between the School Board and the County
Commission established the Court Order Committee to give the County
Commission equal participation in developing a desegregation plan. This
committee is composed of four School Board members and four County
Commissioners. At its initial meeting in June 2009 the Committee agreed to
pursue a school study and to have various analyses based on current
demographics performed using the Edulog Boundary Planning software purchased
by the Commission.
Faced with a
multi-million dollar funding decision, the County Commission’s Education
Committee felt that a school study was needed rather than basing a major
decision on an obsolete 34-year old plan. The Committee recommended that the
Commission work with the School Board to undertake a study of the school
system. The goals of the study were to determine 1) alternative school
configurations and/or zone boundaries that are more demographically
appropriate, educationally beneficial, and court order compliant, 2) the
projected costs and savings associated with the proposed changes, and 3)
what educational programs in use elsewhere might enhance student performance
and the overall quality of education in the school system. The County
Commission approved the Committee’s recommendation and agreed to fund the
cost of the school study.
Dr. Larry
Winecoff was brought in to conduct the portion of the study relating to
planning for compliance with the Court Order and educational
recommendations. Dr. Winecoff, formerly on the faculty of the University of
South Carolina and now retired, was the Court’s education expert. He worked
extensively with the Bi-Racial Committee and with state and federal
representatives during the ‘70s and authored the plan ordered by the Court
in 1975. The Commission felt that his educational expertise and prior
experience with Fayette County made him an ideal choice for the new study.
Dr. Winecoff also concurred that a new plan based on current demographics
was in order. |