WHAT ABOUT THE NEW ELKMONT SCHOOL DISTRICT ?

 Reposted from 2016

 

We will be electing the first school board representative for the newly formed Elkmont District this fall.  Candidates will be registering to run for the position during the next month.  Currently, Marty Adams (West Limestone family)  is our representative. He has indicated that he is interested in throwing his hat in the ring for the upcoming election.   Hill Spirit has gotten some questions  about how the new district came about so this series of articles will be reposted so those questions can answered. There are about seven of them so look for one each day.

Reposted from 2011

WILL ELKMONT HIGH SCHOOL FINALLY GET  SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATION?

Residents in Elkmont want their own representation when the Limestone County school board redraws voting district lines in the coming month.

Every 10 years, after each census, cities and counties are required to redraw voting district lines to ensure the population is equally distributed among districts.

In the case of Limestone schools, the board is required to redraw lines for its seven voting districts by September.

During a work session to discuss whether to try to redraw the lines themselves or hire a demographer to do it, an Elkmont resident lobbied for a district representing Elkmont.

John Carter, who said he represented many in Elkmont who would like to see the change, asked the board to simply make the school district lines and the voting district lines the same.

“The way the lines are now, if the lines are not moved, they (Elkmont residents) will be at a substantial disadvantage,” Carter said.

He said the Elkmont community has not had a member on the school board for 20 years. He attributes that to the way the lines are drawn in the northern half of the county — into two quadrants separated by Alabama 127. He said the division, while logical, essentially puts half the Elkmont area voters in District 4 and half in District 5. Because candidates for those districts are typically well known by voters in either western Limestone or Ardmore, they usually win the school board seat.

Carter said Baldwin County schools recently decided to base its voting districts on school feeder patterns or school district lines.

District 5 board member James Shannon, who represents residents in the Elkmont and Ardmore areas, said he was open to the change, though he made it clear he was there to represent Elkmont residents.

District 4 board member Darin Russell could not attend the meeting because he was repairing power lines down in the recent thunderstorm.

District 1 board member Charles Shoulders, who served as acting president Tuesday while President Earl Glaze was absent due to a death in the family, was also open to the change.

“I feel strongly about your concern,” Shoulders told Carter. “I hope representatives from West Limestone and the Ardmore area are as interested (in Elkmont school issues) as a person from Elkmont would be, but I understand your concern.”

Shannon told Carter he was there to represent Elkmont residents as well as those in the Ardmore area.

“You know you can call on me,” Shannon said to Carter.

Carter did not suggest that existing representation was poor, only that he believed the Elkmont community would like to elect one of its own but district voting lines make it difficult.

“I think it is something we really need to look at,” Shoulders said. “We have to look at decreasing some areas to have true representation from Elkmont.”

During the work session board members also decided to hire a demographer to redraw the lines.

Carter had asked if the schools could use the demographic software the county commission had rented for $4,500 for a year so they could redraw voting district lines.

Assistant Superintendent Mike Owens said he had inquired about using the county’s software but was referred to a lot of different people and then given the address for a website that his computer could not operate.

About that, Carter said, “I got the impression they do not want to get involved in this.”

Superintendent Barry Carroll said Auburn University might have a demographer available.

Board members opted to hire a demographer for two reasons: because there is no school official available to operate the program and because there is only about a month to complete the task. The County Commission started the redrawing task earlier.

Board members asked Carroll to find a demographer and bring him before the board next week.

In 10 years, Limestone County’s population has increased by 17,106 residents to 82,782, an increase of 26 percent. Growth has been strongest in eastern Limestone County. Under the law, the populations in each school district must be within 5 percent of each other. Board members will have to redraw voting district lines so all seven district have roughly 4,750 to 4,800 residents each. Currently, Districts 1 and 7 have 6,901 and 6,045 respectively. District 6 is the smallest with only 3,485. Athens residents do not vote for county school board members.


Source:  Athens News Courier