Suffolk agrees with plan to close two schools

SUFFOLK

Two elementary schools would close and construction of a new middle school would begin, both in 2012, under a plan discussed by the School Board on Wednesday.

Board members agreed with a committee's recommendation to close Florence Bowser and Mount Zion elementary schools, and they decided unofficially to move up the timeline to coincide with the opening of a new elementary school in southern Suffolk. The building is slated to replace Robertson and Southwestern elementarie s.

It makes sense to do all the elementary rezoning at one time, Vice Chairman William Whitley said.

In North Suffolk, moving forward with a new middle school for 600 to 800 students would alleviate crowding at John Yeates Middle, and a divisionwide middle school rezoning would probably be necessary when the building opens, board members said.

A recently released report from a committee of residents and city representatives sparked Wednesday's discussion. The board appointed the group last year to re-evaluate the division's building needs.

The future rezonings could pave the way for the end of court-ordered desegregation, Superintendent Milton Liverman said. Most of Suffolk's neighborhoods are well integrated, but there are some students living in the downtown area who are bused elsewhere, he said.

The fate of the school administration offices, which are housed in leased space downtown, wasn't addressed in the committee's report, Liverman said. That 10-year lease runs out in roughly four years.

The board asked Liverman to explore whether those offices could be relocated to Florence Bowser or Mount Zion if the city decides not to renew the lease. Those sites also could house students with the Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs, now at John F. Kennedy Middle, or the school division's operations facility. The committee recommended replacing the latter.

The board is scheduled to vote on the plan next week so it can be forwarded to the city for consideration.

Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com