- Leon County School Board members are concerned that Welaunee’s rapid housing development could overcrowd nearby schools.
- Board Member Alva Swafford Smith is calling for early discussion of the issue so the district can be prepared for impact.
- Watch the video to hear the discussion and potential solutions.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Welaunee Boulevard is booming with new homes, a new I-10 connector, and a growing number of families moving in.
That growth is catching the attention of Leon County School Board members.
“We need to make sure there's room for those students,” Alva Swafford-Smith said.
District 1 Board Member Alva Smith raised the issue during a workshop Monday.
She estimates at least 7,500 more homes could push schools like W.T. Moore, Roberts, Montford and Lincoln to overcapacity.
“That means portables around the school, that means overcrowded classrooms. That's taxing to our teachers,” Smith said.
That news is getting a lot of reaction on social media, with some parents on Facebook saying they moved to Welaunee expecting a new school but never saw one built.
Now, that idea is back on the table.
“At some point, we will have the board will have to take some action and purchase some land to try to get ahead of this or at least keep up with it,” Superintendent Rocky Hanna said. “I think right now it's premature. The roads aren't set in. There's a lot of unknowns.”
Hanna says the district is looking into buying land in the “Heel.”
The other option is expanding existing facilities, but the issue is funding.
“The cost of building has doubled in essence,” Smith said. “So, where is that money going to come from? We're getting less from the state.”
Smith is pushing for impact fees, which are paid by developers to cover infrastructure needs.
The board didn’t take any formal action at its Tuesday meeting but marked this issue for future discussion.
“This is a long-term discussion, but it's time to start the ball rolling," she said.
Smith says the district needs to have conversations with the city, county, and Blueprint to prepare for growth — that includes talking about traffic, infrastructure and funding to better prepare for impacts to the schools.
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