CHATAHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — Savannah-Chatham County Public School System is seeking community feedback on school reconfigurations and upgrades for Hodge Elementary and DeRenne Middle Schools on Tuesday.
News 3 spoke with DeRenne Middle School teacher, Carlethia Brown-Bland, said these meetings are a great way to stay informed and share ideas.
"I got to see different viewpoints, understand just kind of where everyone stood, see things from a different perspective,” Brown-Bland said. “I love that. That’s perfect because it keeps me from being so close minded.”
Two options were presented and both received mixed responses.
Option 1 included converting DeRenne Middle School to serve grades 2nd through 8th grades. Hodge Elementary would accommodate pre-k through 1st grade along with an early learning center. The total project budget would be $50M.
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"I don't believe that the 2nd through 8th [grades] programs will actually work for our community,” Brown-Bland said. “I looked forward to being that 5th grader. I looked forward to being that 8th grader. I look forward to guiding my younger classmates. I still look forward to just being that person who could bridge into different areas.”
Option 2 focuses on renovating DeRenne Middle School and changing its choice programming. Like option one, it includes adding an early learning center to Hodge Elementary and changing its choice programming. This comes to a total of $20M.
"I lean more towards option two,” Brown-Bland said. “The reason is because it allows for DeRenne Middle School to be renovated, but also hopefully allows for hodge to add an early childcare program which will support our teachers, but also the community as well.”
Educational special purpose local option sales tax, also known as E-SPLOST will help fund these upgrades over the next few years. Superintendent Dr. Denise Watts said if approved, planning would be 3 to 5 years out.
“Teachers, parents, if you have the opportunity to let your voice be heard, please do so,” Brown-Bland said. “Our ancestors fight so long for us to be able to voice our concerns to vote. So, I think you should take pride in doing that. It impacts our kids.”