Maury County schools push five-year facilities plan as housing growth raises rezoning stakes

Superintendent Lisa Ventura and facilities staff presented a December five‑year facilities plan at the board’s February work session, asking the board to confirm a priority for a capital request next month and to allow staff time to produce updated bid-ready plans.

Ventura said rapid residential development in several neighborhoods — citing McClure’s Farm, a Greens Mill subdivision and Rock Springs — will add hundreds of rooftops and push enrollment upward in parts of the district. She told the board that the district projects near‑term growth of about 1–2 percent annually and that staff used a “roll‑up” method (each grade cohort advanced, with preschool counts treated as variable) plus a 2 percent planning multiplier to estimate kindergarten and district totals.

The plan lists North Columbia Elementary as the immediate priority. Ventura told the board the district must re‑engineer that school’s design to meet the 2021 International Building Code; preliminary estimates put re‑design costs in the neighborhood of $250,000. She also said the elementary design already incorporates a FEMA‑rated tornado shelter, which will remain but other code changes and material availability could raise overall construction costs.

Board members pressed staff on rezoning. Facilities staff recommended holding current attendance zones now rather than repeatedly moving students as short‑term growth lands shift, saying repeated moves can depress student performance and that moving children multiple times in two to three years carries educational costs. Several trustees said they want further discussion and possibly a focused retreat; others asked staff to offer alternate phasing that would spread projects over multiple years to avoid a single large ask to the county commission.

Ventura also urged the board to consider proactive land acquisition, noting earlier searches for school‑suitable tracts were difficult because of utilities, access, septic and fire‑service constraints. She said the district has used a contracted realtor to identify potential school sites quietly so prices did not escalate.

The board did not take a final vote in the work session; staff asked members to review a revised plan before the March business meeting so a single capital request can be presented to the county commission.