New Middle School, Classroom Additions Could Fight Overcrowding

CANTON, GA — While no schools in the Cherokee County School District have been classified as "critically overcrowded" by the system's standards, this year's Inventory of School Housing does show the impact of consistent growth in enrollment and where additional space will be needed in the near future.

That's according to the school district, which released its 2018-19 Cherokee County Inventory of School Housing. This year's report marks the sixth consecutive year during which none of the schools are "critically overcrowded," which is defined as a school surpassing 140 percent of its enrollment capacity while meeting other criteria, including use of all existing portable classrooms.

The annual report uses enrollment figures from the 20th day of school to measure each school's percentage of overcrowding. For the 2018-19 school year, that 20th day came on Aug. 28. School Superintendent Dr. Hightower presented the report at the Cherokee County School Board's Sept. 13 meeting.

He praised the board's support of continuous planning and forecasting and willingness to make difficult decisions, such as using the former Canton Elementary School campus to alleviate overcrowding at Cherokee High School.

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While new student enrollment is lower than usual this year, believed to be in part due to the low inventory of starter homes in the county, the district's middle school classrooms remain full. Some relief is on the way, with classroom construction projects planned at Mill Creek and Woodstock middle schools.

“We’re watching these numbers very closely,” Dr. Hightower said of middle school capacity, noting the likely need in the next Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax renewal to include construction of a new middle school in northeast Cherokee to relieve Teasley and Creekland middle schools.

CCSD in 2001 began efforts to eliminate critical overcrowding its schools with the Ed-SPLOST proposal. The district's plan to bond future sales tax revenue, which has been extended three times by voters over the past 15 years, continues today with new construction, strategic land purchases, facility renovations, replacement school buses and emerging technologies for students and staff.

Unfortunately, if portable classrooms were not available, the district states 11 schools would be operating at 100 percent or more of their capacity: Clark Creek, Free Home, Johnston and Woodstock elementary schools; Creekland, E.T. Booth, Mill Creek, Teasley and Woodstock; middle schools; and Creekview and Woodstock high schools.

Residents should remember that while portable classrooms provide relief for classroom instruction, they do not alleviate overcrowding in media centers, cafeterias, restrooms and hallways, as well as not resolving shortages in critical resources such as lockers, parking and recess/playground areas.

Of those 11 schools, three are operating at more than 120 percent capacity, a decrease from four reaching that level last school year: Free Home ES at 131 percent; Creekland MS at 129 percent; and Woodstock MS at 129 percent.

CCSD adds the opening of Cherokee North facility adjacent to Cherokee High School "has alleviated overcrowding on the high school campus and has leveled capacities without causing additional overcrowding issues in the elementary schools in the Cherokee Innovation Zone." You can view the graph of each school's enrollment numbers as of Aug. 28 and its percentage of overcrowding below: