According to data from Madison City Schools, the district is the 5th worst in student-teacher ratios and schools are overflowing with capacity.

Most seniors in Madison City can agree that rezoning was a huge inconvenience. When Mill Creek Elementary School was first built, there was great confusion with which students were going to what school. I can remember being rezoned to three different schools during the process. The rezoning issues for James Clemens High School were also a nightmare for some families, especially if a student lived in the gray area between Bob Jones and James Clemens.

Audrey Harper, a junior, said, “I was rezoned to Madison Elementary. While I was upset at the time, it ended up being a better experience for me. My sister, a teacher at Mill Creek, is currently in a portable trailer at a brand new school. All kids deserve to be together in the same building.” 

In recent news, Madison City schools will be moving sixth grade up to middle schools due to overcrowding in the elementary schools. On the Madison City Schools website the following reads: “All but two of the district’s seven elementary schools are at or near capacity.” Schools are filled to the brim with students because enrollment in the school system increased over 300 just this year. According to Madison City Schools, there are 10,238 students enrolled, exceeding the initially projected estimate of new students who would enter the district. The district is growing at an increasing rate and according to the website, the city has gone from having four schools to eleven in less than 20 years.

However, with the number of rezonings families have already gone through, is the confusion and uncertainty of not knowing where you, your child, or sibling is going worth it? In this case, Madison City has gone through at least five rezonings since 1998. There will be a mix of opinions, but with the rapid increase of students, there is no other choice. Studies show that students perform better in classrooms where there are fewer students.

While there are pros and cons with this move, the end goal of the district is to provide the best learning environment in order for students to excel in education. Though there is going to be confusion and certainly a few naysayers, I think Mr. Parker’s plan is the best course of action for our growing school system.