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Parents and board spar over Stewarts Creek rezoning as district weighs two concepts
Summary
Parents urged the Rutherford County Board of Education to prefer rezoning concept 2 to limit disruption at Stewarts Creek Elementary, while staff and a consultant said capacity pressures and future development make some boundary changes unavoidable.
Dozens of parents and residents urged the Rutherford County Board of Education on Wednesday to limit student disruptions as the district considers two rezoning concepts tied to new development and a planned middle school.
"My name is Lindsay Hebden and I'm here to speak about the potential rezoning at Stewart's Creek Elementary," said Lindsay Hebden during public comment, noting her family moved into the Cedar Hills community in part so their children could attend Stewart's Creek. Other speakers described long bus rides, interrupted extracurricular participation and repeated moves for students.
The district's enrollment consultant, Rob, described the problem the board is trying to solve: rising enrollment and new housing. "We're tracking towards 56,000 students," he said, and presented maps showing areas that would move between Stewart's Creek and Brown's Chapel under each concept. Rob explained the modeling used 1‑mile and 1.5‑mile network radii and projected unit growth over five years, noting that yields from new developments can be lower than expected.
Parents repeatedly urged a plan that minimizes moves for children already attending Stewart's Creek. Sarah Burda, who said her family moved from Pennsylvania and now has multiple children in Stewart's Creek, told the board, "We strongly oppose the option 1 for the rezoning for Stewarts Creek," emphasizing the daily‑life and routine impacts of reassignment. Laura Miller said she built a home a mile from Stewart's Creek expressly so her children could attend; she described a past year of 40–45 minute bus trips that she said drained the family.
Board members asked staff to model alternative approaches. Miss Darby asked Rob to provide a chart showing the effects of capping Stewart's Creek so existing students could remain; Rob agreed to produce the scenario and explain how a cap would phase by cohort over several years. Directors also clarified current enrollments: Brown's Chapel about 583, Poplar Hill about 892 and Stewart's Creek about 1,177 (figures provided during the meeting by district staff).
Director of Schools Doctor Sullivan and Rob highlighted constraints beyond board control, including municipal approvals and the pace and type of new housing in Smyrna and surrounding areas. Board members and speakers urged more coordination with city planners and county commissioners to align development and school capacity planning.
What's next: staff said there would be no final decisions at the meeting; the board scheduled a work session on Dec. 9 and a board meeting on Dec. 11 where a rezoning decision is expected to be considered.
