Board of education reports on rezoning status, exchanges deed for road project

The board of education’s attorney, Donald Sweeney, gave a report on the rezoning issue and Hoover City Schools’ unitary status at the board meeting Feb. 9.

Although Hoover City Schools never operated as a segregated school district, the NAACP and the Justice Department requires all current and future school districts to achieve unitary status. Before any schools can be rezoned within Hoover City Schools, the must investigate the racial composition of the student body, faculty and staff. Along with these items, the transportation of students, the condition and opportunities of the schools and the extracurricular activities must also be analyzed. 

Sweeney reported that the NAACP has reviewed nine of the schools within the city of Hoover, and that an expert will review all the data. Once the information has been reviewed, the NAACP can alert the board of education on any changes that need to be implemented.

According to the information reported to the Department of Justice, Hoover City Schools declared no plans to curtail transportation for the 2015-2016 school year. Student transportation will be provided with no cost to the students. A status conference has been scheduled for Feb. 20 to determine what additional information would be needed for Hoover City Schools to obtain unitary status.

“While this process is ongoing, no changes in the current student attendance zones will take place,” Sweeney said. “For planning purposes, it is my opinion, that student attendance zones for Hoover schools will not be changed for the 2015-2016 years. I want to emphasize that the Justice Department and the NAACP have worked cooperatively with us in every respect.”

Many Trace Crossings teachers and administrators were present to voice their concern with the rezoning issue. They claimed that Trace Crossings has the most to lose by not rezoning as the school is at the lowest capacity it has been in a long time. Furthermore, one teacher asked the board for help in reversing the negative opinions that have been directed toward Trace Crossings.

She stated that everyday, she and students at the school feel the need to defend their reasons for being at Trace Crossings as though it were not a good school. She asked that the board further communicate with Trace Crossings administrators and to “think outside the box” in order to combat these views.

Also at the meeting,

The board authorized the exchange of properties between Hoover City Schools and the city of Hoover for the Patton Chapel Road Project, Phase III.  

Charlie Beavers, a lawyer with the Hoover Board of Education, Jefferson County and Hoover, discussed the details of the agreement. The project is meant to improve Patton Chapel Road, and those improvements will affect Gwin and Simmons elementary schools.

To make this project happen, the school board will be receiving easements and rights of way in order to improve the road system. A traffic engineer reviewed all of the plans that have been developed and submitted to ALDOT.

Board member Stephen Presley praised the project.

“I’d like to say…please tell everyone at city hall thank you,” he said. “As a Bluff Park resident, and one that rides up and down that road, I’m excited about that change. I’m glad that it’s going to work out better for our schools as well.”

The board also,

• Allowed five AP art students from Hoover High School to present portraits of each board member. These five portraits will hang in the Hoover Board of Education room in place of the photo portraits that already hang there. Derrick Murphy proposed the idea for these portraits about a year ago.  
• Recognized the excellence of the Hoover City Schools’ transportation department, and presented a certificate letter from the state department of education for a “job well done.” 
• Honored five students who were named United States Presidential Scholarship candidates. Three students were from Hoover High School, and two were from Spain Park High School.
• Honored four students who placed in the Alabama State Superintendents Visual Arts Show. 
• Approved the proposed members of the textbook committee.  
• Addressed the concerns of cleanliness in Hoover City Schools. Reese announced that he would have more to report at the March board meeting.
• Approved a Public Safety Tower Release agreement between Hoover City Schools and the city of Hoover.
• Presented a draft of the 2015-2016 calendar for Hoover City Schools. The board will approve the calendar at the March board meeting, and parents will have a two-week period to provide feedback.
• Presented the 2012-2013 assessment and accountability report. The report looked back at the recent changes such as Alabama’s College and Career Ready Standards and Alabama’s 2020 plan.
• Proposed a grade weight change for AP and pre-AP courses at Spain Park and Hoover high schools.