MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Schools will formally recommend the closures of Shady Grove Elementary and Alton Elementary Schools on Tuesday, Jan. 25. SCS families who would be impacted by the school closures were notified back in November. Since then there have been two rounds of meetings to answer parents' questions. The changes will go into effect next school year if the school board approves them.
If approved, all Alton Elementary School students, including Pre-k, will be zoned to A.B. Hill Elementary School, which is a little under two miles away. According to the Tuesday SCS presentation, the total enrollment is projected to be approximately 600 students.
For Shady Grove, about 95% of the student body doesn't stay in the geographic area of the school. That 5% will be rezoned to White Station Elementary. The rest will go to Dexter, which is currently operating an elementary and middle school separately, but will be reconfigured as a K-8 school in the 2022-2023 school year.
Kelly Saiz has a third-grader who attends Shady Grove. Saiz said she drives 44 miles a day to take her daughter to school. The family is actually zoned to Egypt Elementary but applied for a transfer two years ago.
Parents describe Shady Grove as a small, close-knit school community that supports diversity and students with disabilities.
"Shady Grove is like just a special little place," Saiz said. "You walk in and everybody knows your name, the teachers know what each kid is interested in, what sports they are playing, what hobby they are in. They are just very interested in the kid's well-being. It's not just about education."
Saiz said if the school board approves the closure, she will put her daughter into a private school. She said she is worried Dexter will be overcrowded.
SCS Deputy Superintendent John Barker said Dexter will have more than enough space for the additional students, and teachers and staff will not be losing their jobs because they will be needed at both Dexter and White Station.