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School
Building History
2004-2005 Rezoning
Information - A
History
Zoning Considerations 2008
Possible Zoning Scenarios 2008 - UPDATED
HSCIN Surveys
Related to Zoning and Facilities
Building Capacity of
Hoover Schools
FY2009 Capital Plan
Third High
School Discussion 2000-2008
Parent Feedback E-Mail
Address
Growth of Hoover City Schools
The City of Hoover has grown by leaps and bounds since inception
of its school system in 1988.
The following are enrollment numbers for the years
since Hoover City Schools were born:
|
School Year |
Enrollment |
Percent Increase |
| 1988 - 1989 |
5243 |
NA |
| 1989 - 1990 |
5879 |
+ 12.1% |
| 1990 - 1991 |
6126 |
+ 4.2% |
| 1991 - 1992 |
6326 |
+ 3.3% |
| 1992 - 1993 |
6797 |
+ 7.4% |
| 1993 - 1994 |
7174 |
+ 5.5% |
| 1994 - 1995 |
7706 |
+ 7.4% |
| 1995 - 1996 |
8249 |
+ 7.0% |
| 1996 - 1997 |
8663 |
+ 5.0% |
| 1997- 1998 |
9013 |
+ 4.0% |
| 1998 - 1999 |
9310 |
+ 3.3% |
| 1999 - 2000 |
9463 |
+ 1.6% |
| 2000 - 2001 |
9792 |
+ 3.5% |
| 2001 - 2002 |
10296 |
+ 5.1% |
| 2002 - 2003 |
10724 |
+4.2% |
| 2003 - 2004 |
11163 |
+ 4.1% |
| 2004 - 2005 |
11541 |
+3.4% |
| 2005 - 2006 |
11771 |
+2.0% |
| 2006 -2007 |
12064 |
+2.5% |
| 2007-2008 |
12406 |
|
Source: Hoover City Schools, 2005, 2006, 2007.
School Building
History of Hoover City Schools
Hoover City Schools was carved from the Jefferson
County School System in 1988. The buildings that were bought from
Jefferson County include:
Bluff Park Elementary
Green Valley Elementary
Gwin Elementary
Rocky Ridge Elementary
Shades Mountain Elementary School
Simmons Middle School
W.A. Berry High School
5243 students were educated at those buildings that
first year. As Hoover continued to grow, the following buildings
were built and/or converted or closed:
Trace Crossings Elementary - 1993
Hoover High School - 1994 (Berry was converted to a Middle School)
Greystone Elementary - 1995
South Shades Crest Elementary - 1995
Bumpus Middle School - 1998
Spain Park High School - 2001
Deer Valley Elementary - 2001
Crossroads School - 2001
Farr Administrative Building/Central Office - 2002
Riverchase Elementary - 2004
Berry Middle School - 2005
Former Berry Middle School closed - 2006
Building Capacity of
Hoover Schools
|
ELEMENTARY |
CAPACITY |
07-08
ENROLLMENT |
| Bluff Park Elementary |
670 |
553 |
| Deer Valley Elementary |
940 |
789 |
| Green Valley Elementary |
600 |
456 |
| Greystone Elementary |
790 |
660 |
| Gwin Elementary |
670 |
580 |
| Riverchase Elementary |
750 |
565 |
| Rocky Ridge Elementary |
670 |
558 |
| Shades Mountain Elementary |
350 |
286 |
| South Shades Crest Elementary |
810 |
700 |
| Trace Crossings Elementary |
1020 |
544 |
|
MIDDLE |
|
|
| Berry Middle School |
1200 |
1041 |
| Bumpus Middle School |
1100 |
1020 |
| Simmons Middle School |
1100 |
802 |
|
HIGH SCHOOL |
|
|
| Hoover High - Freshman Campus |
1200 |
645 |
| |
|
|
| Hoover High School |
2200 |
1744 |
| Spain Park High School |
1700 |
1380 |
The building capacity number is for reference and
planning in general terms only. This number was derived by using
an average for the following grade levels:
| Kindergarten through 1st grade |
16 per room |
| 2nd grade through 3rd grade |
20 per room |
| 4th grade through 5th grade |
22 per room |
| 6th grade through 8th grade |
24 per room |
| 9th grade through 12th grade |
24 per room |
There are several factors that can and often does
change this capacity number at various schools. Those factors are:
grade level breakdown (elementary), special education/instructional
support space needs (all), course offerings (middle and high) and
classroom counts.
SOURCE: All information other than current
enrollment numbers were taken from information provided to the Hoover
City Council by Hoover City Schools, November 2005. Current
enrollment numbers are from The Birmingham News' article in
August 2007.
Zoning Considerations - 2008
With rezoning once again in the forefront to
address the continued growth in Hoover City Schools, please take
a moment to catch up on the history of the last rezoning,
including the Board of Education's use of a Community Planning
Process.
Documents from the 2004 Rezoning Process:
Original Presentation to Board of Education by McCauley and
Associates
Values
Developed by the Focus Groups and Telephone Surveys
Community
Planning Team Selection Process
Adopted Zoning
Plan February 2005
Apartment Zoning Plan
In addition, the HSCIN has posted a number of
informative articles outlining the history of the most recent
rezoning process on THE Hoover Forum.
Click here to go to these articles. It is imperative
to understand how we got where we are before we can move
forward.
"Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it," - George Santayana, Philosopher,
Reason in Common Sense
Possible Zoning Plans Presented by Superintendent Craig
We outline these plans here
only to refresh the memories of those who attended the
series of community meetings Mr. Craig held during February.
It is extremely important to note that these plans are not
"set in stone", rather they were presented to the community
to gather input on what the different zoning scenarios meant
to our Hoover school community.
Mr. Craig indicated that much
study is still necessary to determine which path will result
in the best use of finances and best fits our school
community.
Scenario #1 -
presented at Simmons Middle School February 4
Scenario #2 - presented at
Simmons Middle School February 4 was deemed not feasible.
It included removing the 6th
grade from the Bumpus Middle School campus and housing them
in Elementary School #11, which will be built south of
Regions Park. Mr. Craig
presented a new series of zoning considerations at the
Bumpus Middle School meeting on February 12. It
included implementing zoning changes in two phases.
Timelines for implementation were not given.
Phase I -
presented at Bumpus Middle School February 12
Phase II,
Option 1 - presented at Bumpus Middle School February 12
Phase II,
Option 2 - presented at Bumpus Middle School, February 12
Phase II,
Option 3 - presented at Bumpus Middle School, February 12
Other options were given that included having
Trace Crossings Elementary attend Simmons Middle School for
a period of time before opening the Freshman Campus as the
fourth middle school, making Trace Crossings a K-6 school,
and moving Trace Crossings 7th and 8th graders to the
Freshman Campus. No detailed numbers were given for
those options.
Phase
I, Option 2 - presented at the Hoover Parent Teacher Council
Meeting, February 14
Discussion of the Third High
School, 2000-2008 - posted 05/01/08
Click
here to read an historical perspective of what Hoover's past and
present leaders have said about the need to address Hoover's
future high school population growth.
Sources include The Birmingham News, City Council
minutes, and Board of Education minutes.
Hoover City Schools Capital Plan
States the 11th Elementary Will Be Funded in 2009 -
posted 08/28/08
Click here to view the Capital Plan that Hoover City Schools has
on file with the Alabama State Department of Education
Here's the link to the page on the Alabama State
Department of Education web site with this information:
http://schools.alsde.edu/CapitalPlan/CapitalPlanReport.asp.
Choose "Hoover City" as the system you wish to view.
The Capital Plan that our school system has filed
with the State Department clearly indicates that Elementary
School #11 will be built in 2009 at a projected cost of
$13,000,000.
However, Mr. Craig, in an article from The
Birmingham News indicated that no concrete plans had yet
been made with respect to Capital Planning.
Here is a link to that article.
From the article: "In a long-range
planning committee meeting in January, Superintendent Andy Craig
floated the idea of reopening Berry as a third middle school
feeding Hoover High. It was one of several possible scenarios
for meeting future growth in the school system. In February,
Craig took his ideas on the road, collecting input in a series
of community meetings.
Since then, the
planning committee has not reconvened. In an
interview last week, Craig said the group would
resume its work 'sometime after school starts.'"
Apparently a
decision has been made. The HSCIN is
committed to keeping our community informed of the
decisions that have been made on our community's
behalf by the leaders of our school system.
HSCIN Surveys Related to Zoning and Facilities
The HSCIN has conducted surveys to gauge
public sentiment regarding facility usage and thoughts about
rezoning:
Survey
#16 - Financial Soundness - January 11 through 25, 2008. These
results will be given to Superintendent Andy Craig. One question asks if
those in charge of planning for our school district have
performed those duties well.
Survey
#11 - Thoughts on the Third High School - May 3 through May 17,
2007. These results were presented to the Board of
Education at the June 11 Meeting.
Survey #8 - What
to Do with the Old Berry Campus? - March 16 through April 5,
2007. These results were given to Superintendent Andy
Craig at the Monday, April 9, School Board meeting.
Survey #3 - Jefferson County 1% Sales Tax Revenue - November 29,
2006, through January 5, 2007. Of the 132 respondents who
participated, they ranked "Building a third high school" as
their number 2 priority behind "adding technology to
classrooms".
Newspaper Articles Related to Current Zoning Considerations
Hoover Parents Hear Latest on Growth in System - February 20, The
Birmingham News
Speak Out - Look at Old Berry Campus for Charter School - February 13,
The Birmingham News
Board Gets Peek at Two Growth Plans - February 8, The Birmingham News
Parents Critique School Growth Plans - February 5, The Birmingham News
Work on Old Berry Could Begin Next Year - February 1, The Birmingham
News
Superintendent Craig Sets Community Meetings - January 30, The
Birmingham News
Hoover May Revive Berry Campus as Middle School - January 18, The
Birmingham News
Superintendent's Letter Came Too Late - January 16, The Birmingham News
Hoover City Council Annexes 68 Acres Off Patton Chapel Road - January 7,
Breaking News, The Birmingham News
Berry School Offer Likely to Expire - December 21, The Birmingham News
Letter Regarding Berry Property - December 14, The Birmingham News
Is Hoover Willing to Pay for Berry Campus? - December 12, The Birmingham
News
Hoover Parks and Recreation Board Wants to Retain Berry Facilities -
December 10, The Birmingham News
Hoover Seeks to Keep Using Berry Fields - December 8, The Birmingham
News
Schools, City Eye Berry Field Use - December 7, The Birmingham News
Two Hoover Elementary Schools to Expand - December 6, The Birmingham
News
Hoover Board Should Aim for Fair Price on Berry Middle School Campus,
Close Deal - Jon Anderson - November 28, The Birmingham News
Offer for Old Berry Includes May Deadline - November 22, The Birmingham
News
Committee Forms to Address Growth - November 14, The Birmingham News
Joint Offer Made for Berry Site - November 9, The Birmingham News
Hoover to Buy Land to Block Apartments - November 6, The Birmingham News
Long-Range Planning Policy from Hoover City Schools
Click
here to view
Hoover City Schools Board of Education policy regarding long-range
planning. The Policy states the the Board and Superintendent
will involve the community in long-range planning for building and
zoning for the district.
2004-2005 Rezoning
Information - A History
The most recent rezoning came about during the 2004 school year
as a new middle school was set to open near Spain Park High School
in August 2005.
The Rezoning Plan proposed by Central Office Administration was
met with strong community opposition. A series of four public
hearings were conducted, where community members were allowed to
voice their concerns.
Members of the community recommended using a Task Force composed
of community members as well as school personnel to determine the
best zoning plan for the community. Mr. Tim Aho, an engineer for
McCauley and Associates proposed a detailed plan that included phone
surveys, focus groups, and the use of a Community Planning Team to
determine which zoning plan best suited the values of the community.
A copy of Mr. Aho's presentation to the Board of Education can be
viewed by clicking here.
The Board of Education accepted Mr. Aho's proposal with one
change: the Community Planning Team would be randomly selected, not
chosen as Mr. Aho originally proposed.
The process began in Fall of 2004 with
focus groups of parents randomly selected, but balanced
demographically. Those focus groups' input was used to compile
a list of values related to education. Telephone surveys of 309
households of persons with children in Hoover schools were then
conducted to actually rate the Values developed by the focus groups. Those Values can be seen by clicking
here.
At that point, a Community Planning Team was nominated.
Click here
to see how the Nomination Process was conducted. Names were
literally drawn
from a hat on December 1, 2004, at the Central Office, and members
were notified they had been selected. The complete list of
names is available here.
The Team met on eight separate occasions to develop a Plan that
would meet the Values obtained from the Phone Surveys and Focus
Groups. The Team was charged with staying within the framework
of the Values set forth by the community. The entire Work
Process can be seen by clicking here.
The Team made their recommendation to the Superintendent, who
accepted their recommendation.
The Superintendent made the recommendation to the Board and it
was unanimously approved on February 28, 2005. That Plan can
be viewed by clicking here.
The comments at the end of the Approved Plan are as follows:
"While this is certainly not the 'perfect solution', it is
responsive to the 'voice of the community' in terms of the desire
for students to remain on their current track in regard to middle
school and high school attendance zones. It is our belief that
the benefits outweigh the costs in fulfilling the wishes of the
majority of the parents of our school district."
This was the first time any Community
group was given a formal path for input when a Rezoning Plan was considered.
The Community Planning Team, in recommending the existing Berry
campus be vacated, did not advocate selling the campus. In
fact, they recommended that another group be convened to discuss
what to do with the existing Berry campus.
To see the working documents of the Community
Planning Team, click here (not yet available). It contains the matrices and other
information the Team used to make their Recommendation to the
Superintendent.
That was never done by the District. In May 2006, the Superintendent
recommended that the Board of Education sell the Berry campus (on
Columbiana Road) to Oxford Management for $13.3 million to allow them to lease the
property to Shades Mountain Christian School. The Board voted 3-2 to allow the sale.
Pursuant to complications with ownership, Shades Mountain
Christian School attempted to buy the campus outright. Their
option to buy the property expired without Shades Mountain Christian
School being able to raise enough money to purchase the property.
The property currently belongs to the Hoover Board of Education.
The Hoover School Community Information Network believes that
community input is vital to the success of any school system.
Our hope is that whatever the Board of Education decides to do at
this point, it will adhere to the current
Long-Range Planning Policy
and consult the Community in a formal way to
allow for input.
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