By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Board of Education will meet in a board retreat Monday, April 21 to discuss zoning lines and the possibility of intra-district transfer relative to two new community elementary schools.
The retreat begins at noon at the Central Office on North Chalkville Road and lasts until 4:30 p.m., when a work session begins. A board meeting is at 6 p.m.
Trussville City Schools Superintendent Pattie Neill said earlier this year that the board retreat will be “very important.”
Zoning lines will help determine if the new elementary schools should be built for 400 or 500 students. One will be constructed near the Magnolia Place subdivision, while the New Deal-era school building on Parkway Drive will be renovated.
Trussville residents Feb. 25 voted to approve the seven-millage property tax increase to fund the two schools. The vote passed by a result of 2,813 voting for the increase to 1,935 voting against it. Seven additional mills in property taxes will cost Trussville residents $70 per year on homes appraised at $100,000, $140 per year on homes appraised at $200,000 and $210 per year on homes appraised at $300,000.
“This is a pivotal moment for the students in Trussville City Schools,” Neill said after the vote passed. “The voice of the people has been heard. We will act accordingly to move forward with our community school plan. This can only make things better. Anything that helps the schools helps the community, and it’s obvious that the community really wanted this. And we agree.”
More than 300 students at the Paine Elementary Campus currently have classes in 13 portables.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.