Some Lowndes County students will change schools under rezoning plan

Caison Kirkland, The Valdosta Daily Times, Ga.
·2 min read

Mar. 14—VALDOSTA — At its March 11, meeting, the Lowndes County School Board approved a rezoning plan to achieve better student population equilibrium across the district.

This move, however, is set to affect only a 2% of the approximately 10,000 students under the LCS umbrella.

Superintendent Sandra Wilcher illuminated the extensive groundwork preceding this decision during the February board session. She emphasized that the discussion around rezoning isn't new; instead, it's been a topic of conversation for some time. Many evaluations of student enrollment patterns, demographic distributions within school zones, and optimization of transportation routes have been in progress since the summer, with discussions stretching back even further.

"For the past ten years, Lowndes County Schools has experienced tremendous growth in Dewar Elementary School, Hahira Elementary School, Westside Elementary School, and Hahira Middle School," stated Wilcher.

The rezoning blueprint aims to redistribute some students to schools with more capacity, notably Clyattville Elementary School, Moulton-Branch Elementary School, Pine Grove Elementary School, and Pine Grove Middle School.

"We want to be good stewards of the taxpayers' money by making sure we are utilizing our facilities to their best potential," Wilcher emphasized.

To ensure transparency and gather community input, LCS conducted three informative sessions over the past month and solicited feedback from affected families in person and through a comprehensive survey.

Furthermore, students affected by the rezoning can remain at their current school through a School Zone School Choice Application process. However, families opting for this choice must arrange transportation for their children and maintain satisfactory attendance records.

"We have phenomenal teachers in all of our schools. Parents can expect the same One Lowndes experience at schools across the district. Our teachers instruct using the same curriculum and rigor, helping us maintain excellence county-wide," Wilcher said.

To view the updated school zone maps and a full presentation on the rezoning, visit lowndes.k12.ga.us, For Families, Rezoning Information.