MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WTVF) — Melissa Morris's two children attend Rutland Elementary School.
"When we were looking at where we wanted to build or where we wanted to put down roots, school systems were really important," Morris said.
That's why she and her husband moved to their Mt. Juliet neighborhood. But a new zoning proposal could change where her two children go to school.
The proposal would move more than 100 Rutland students to Gladeville Elementary School, and move more than 100 Gladeville students to Southside Elementary.
"I know it wouldn't be the school board's intention to treat kids like a number— they care about them and they've been educators. But that's the way it feels at the moment," Morris said.
The reason behind the reshuffling is the city's growth.
"We're outpacing our projections and I've been saying that ever since I've been a director," Superintendent Jeff Luttrell said during a school board meeting on June 5.
Nearly 2,000 new students have enrolled in Wilson County Schools in the last five years.
"The one thing that we want families to understand is that rezoning is tough and we understand that," said Public Information Officer of Wilson County Schools, Bart Barker.
The school board held a special meeting at 6:00 p.m. Monday, where they voted on the rezoning proposal. Barker said before the meeting that all options are on the table, but time is of the essence.
"The district needs to know exactly what they're facing with the remaining weeks of summer break so preparations can be made before the August first start day," Barker said.
Morris would like to see students stay on campus and moved into portables until a new building is built.
"At what point is it too much?" she said. "At some point you're going to have to stop rezoning, right?"
But that point may not come any time soon. The board approved the rezoning with one exception: fifth graders will have the option to stay at their schools. Students will also have the option to move to a school with open enrollment outside of their zone, provided the space is available.
"The district will communicate with all affected families on what tonight means specifically for them," Barker said.
This is the listof impacted streets and proposed rezoning maps.
