What are your thoughts on Sull Co School Closures? (Johnson City: middle school, closing)

[rccrain]

Parents, Teachers at Mary Hughes to Discuss Closure | TriCities (http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/parents_teachers_at_mary_hughes_to_discuss_closure/19256/ - broken link)

Pluses being that it will save $1,000,000/yr.

Negatives being longer bus trips, less convenience, some job losses, and loss of history.

or

[pineywoods]

A parent posted a message underneath this article on the school closing, noting that the school is not slated for closing. The change entails middle school students to no longer be taught at Mary Hughes...instead they will be circumvented to Holston Middle or Bluff City Middle. I'm not sure if that's true or not...simply stating what that parent posted. Makes sound sense to me. Keep MH as an elementary school. Piney Flats is going to need that room anyway, as fast as it's growing.

[Tennesseestorm]

Sad. They also want to close Valley Pike in Bristol. I went there in the 1985-86 school year. 4th grade. Gosh, I am getting old! I went there when there was not even air conditioning and my classroom was on the upper floor. Sure got hot in that room.

Didnt help that I had a rude teacher that said I would never make it through the 5th grade, (told my mother that) which I did and made straight A's... at a different school for the 1986-87 school year though. I still see her occasionally in some supermarkets in Bristol and so want to tell her I made straight A's in 5th grade and all the way through middle and high school without failing one grade.... she probably does not even remember me though. She looks identical to what she looked like in 1985! 24 years later and she has not changed! Strange.

[snowpeck]

As per the school board commissioner or whatever he is, (my reporter and I did a story on this today), Cedar Grove, Valley Pike, and Akard may be on the chopping block, and Mary Hughes' middle school students will be sent elsewhere. Valley Pike failed a recent test on its physical condition. The closure does not solve the fact that moving the students elsewhere could create overcrowding problems.

Greg

[jjbradleynyc]

My sister's kids go to Tri-Cities Christian, and they are apparently closing the Kingsport campus...it's a private school obviously, but it still it affects a lot of kids.

[rccrain]

and the Johnson City campus and the Bristol campus. Only the Blountville and Gray campuses will remain. Sounds like they will expand at Blountville to accommodate everyone.

Rumor is that they will go with a "Providence Academy model".