Madison City and Madison Board of Education officials are working together on plans to address growth concerns. Community input is vital. Mayor Paul Finley and Superintendent Robby Parker will host two community meetings to discuss how growth will impact our city and listen to public feedback. The first meeting will be this Tuesday, April 10th, at 6:30 pm at Bob Jones High School. If you miss that one, the next is Sunday, April 22nd, at 3 pm at James Clemens High School.
"We have a wonderful problem here, and that is people continue to move here for our quality of living and our excellent school system. But now we need to look ahead and establish a forward reaching plan," says Mayor Paul Finley.
The Madison Schools Growth Impact Committee presented research to City Council and School Board members, as well as the Mayor and Superintendent. This research revealed that under the current growth trajectory, new middle and elementary schools are needed as well as expansion to Bob Jones and James Clemens high schools, or a third high school within the Madison City Schools system. The Growth Impact Committee reported three possible cases for growth and how those outcomes could influence our city: Case 1 would halt growth with slight overcrowding, while Case 2 would control growth but the school system could face significant overcrowding without the additional facilities and space. Case 3 would allow for unrestricted growth and the potential for massive overcrowding.
Superintendent Robby Parker commented, "We know what our numbers are going to be in the next 10-15 years - we are not guessing. This is about the generation now, but it's also about the next generation."
The study also cites new jobs in our area driving the growth in our city. While the school system is an attractive feature to families moving to the area, officials agreed that keeping the high quality education in Madison City is a top priority.
School Growth Impact Report
Superintendent Parker’s 10-Year Vision plan for Madison City Schools