Jefferson County Public Schools leaders faced emotional testimony Tuesday night as parents, students and educators responded to a proposal to close or merge several schools aimed at shoring up the district’s finances.Kaitlin Webster-Hayes, a Liberty High School student, faced severe bullying at other JCPS schools: “It traumatized me — I’ve been diagnosed with PTSD since leaving those schools.” She doesn’t want to see Liberty closed, as its specialized programs make it the only place where she feels properly supported.”It’s not going to be possible to replicate this in other schools to fit our needs. It’s not,” she said.Vanessa Garcia, a graduate of the Georgia Chafee Teenage Parent Program, said, “I probably would have dropped out of high school, taking care of my little one back at home, have his father provide for us, and maybe not finish my education like I could have.” She believes moving the program to a smaller site could limit access for students.Superintendent Brian Yearwood said the proposed changes would make the district more efficient with space and money, but acknowledged the difficulty of the conversation. “I dislike this,” he said. “This is not what I want to see happen.”Board member Taylor Everett said the decision requires careful consideration—and he has not decided how he will vote.”There’s a lot more than just what’s on paper. That’s what I know coming out of this. And we have a lot of soul searching,” he said. “As a board, we have to ask if you’re going to do this; we have to understand what the plan is. It has to make sense to us.”The district serves more than 94,000 students and has more than 17,000 extra seats. Officials say the proposal would better align open seats with areas that need them.Other proposed actions include merging King Elementary into Maupin Elementary, closing Zachary Taylor Elementary, and relocating Waller-Williams. Two more public forums are scheduled before the board votes on the proposed changes.
Jefferson County Public Schools leaders faced emotional testimony Tuesday night as parents, students and educators responded to a proposal to close or merge several schools aimed at shoring up the district’s finances.
Kaitlin Webster-Hayes, a Liberty High School student, faced severe bullying at other JCPS schools: “It traumatized me — I’ve been diagnosed with PTSD since leaving those schools.”
She doesn’t want to see Liberty closed, as its specialized programs make it the only place where she feels properly supported.
“It’s not going to be possible to replicate this in other schools to fit our needs. It’s not,” she said.
Vanessa Garcia, a graduate of the Georgia Chafee Teenage Parent Program, said, “I probably would have dropped out of high school, taking care of my little one back at home, have his father provide for us, and maybe not finish my education like I could have.”
She believes moving the program to a smaller site could limit access for students.
Superintendent Brian Yearwood said the proposed changes would make the district more efficient with space and money, but acknowledged the difficulty of the conversation.
“I dislike this,” he said. “This is not what I want to see happen.”
Board member Taylor Everett said the decision requires careful consideration—and he has not decided how he will vote.
“There’s a lot more than just what’s on paper. That’s what I know coming out of this. And we have a lot of soul searching,” he said. “As a board, we have to ask if you’re going to do this; we have to understand what the plan is. It has to make sense to us.”
The district serves more than 94,000 students and has more than 17,000 extra seats. Officials say the proposal would better align open seats with areas that need them.
Other proposed actions include merging King Elementary into Maupin Elementary, closing Zachary Taylor Elementary, and relocating Waller-Williams. Two more public forums are scheduled before the board votes on the proposed changes.
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