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Memphis parent Chajuana Williams said she would miss the family history embedded at Georgian Hills Elementary if district leaders decide to close the school in June.
“I would hate that the school is closing down because I’ve got older kids that went here,” Williams said at a community hearing Monday night. She has two second graders and one first grader at Georgian Hills this year and is a parent and aunt to former students who are now teenagers.
In September, Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond recommended shutting down four Memphis-Shelby County schools due to chronic underenrollment and growing repair needs. Two of the schools slated for closure, including Georgian Hills, are in the Frayser neighborhood.
Previous school closure meetings at Chickasaw Middle, Lucy Elementary and Frayser-Corning Elementary drew larger crowds in the past two months. District leaders are expected to make final decisions in February.
Under Richmond’s plan, Georgian Hills students would be split between two other neighborhood elementary schools next fall, Whitney and Hawkins Mill. All three schools earned a C rating in the state’s performance assessment system, MSCS leaders said Monday.
But Hawkins Mill Elementary students were more likely to test as proficient on standardized math and reading tests. And while over half of the students at Whitney and Georgian Hills are chronically absent — meaning they miss more than 10% of school days each year — only 11% of Hawkins Mill students meet that mark.
Williams said she worked as a custodian at Hawkins Mill years ago, so she feels more comfortable sending her children there.
“I can deal with it if [Georgian Hills] is closing because the teachers are wonderful over there,” she said.
It’s unclear how many students would be sent to Hawkins Mill or Whitney elementary schools if the school board approves Georgian Hills’ closure in February. MSCS Facility Services Officer Michelle Stuart said Monday that over 50% of the seats at Whitney are unfilled, compared to around 40% at Hawkins Mill.
Georgian Hills fills three-fourths of its available seats right now, Stuart added.
“That’s a good, healthy utilization,” she said. “But the building is so small that we can’t get many more kids in.”
Georgian Hills’ building also needs more maintenance repairs in the next decade than Whitney and Hawkins Mill. Closing the school would save MSCS $910,000 next year alone, Stuart said.
The district will hold another community meeting for Georgian Hills families at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at Hawkins Mill Elementary School.
Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
