LOWNDES, CO. – The Lowndes County School Board has voted to adopt the proposed school district rezoning plan at a recent meeting.

Release:

The Lowndes County School Board voted to approve the proposed school district rezoning plan at their meeting on March 11, 2024, to better balance student numbers. 

The change in school boundaries does not affect 98% of LCS’s approximately 10,000 students. 

Superintendent Sandra Wilcher presented a timeline at the February board meeting, sharing that rezoning is not a new conversation. Extensive reviews of student enrollment, school zone populations, and transportation routes have been ongoing since the summer, and conversations date back much further. 

“For the past ten years, Lowndes County Schools has experienced tremendous growth in Dewar Elementary School, Hahira Elementary School, Westside Elementary School, and Hahira Middle School,” Wilcher said. 

The rezoning plan alleviates pressure from the named schools and will rezone some students to maximize capacity at other schools, including Clyattville Elementary School, Moulton-Branch Elementary School, Pine Grove Elementary School, and Pine Grove Middle School. 

“We want to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money by making sure we are utilizing our facilities to their best potential,” says Wilcher. 

LCS hosted three informational sessions over the past month and received feedback from impacted families in person and through a survey. 

Students who are impacted by the rezoning will have the opportunity to stay at their current school, if they choose, through a School Zone School Choice Application process. Families choosing to stay must provide transportation for their students and maintain acceptable attendance. 

“We have phenomenal teachers in all of our schools. Parents can expect the same One Lowndes experience at schools across the district. Our teachers instruct using the same curriculum and rigor, helping us maintain excellence county-wide,” Wilcher explains. 

To view the updated school zone maps, visit lowndes.k12.ga.us, For Families, Rezoning Information.