Rock Hill equity panel: High school rezoning not an option

A committee formed to study equity among Rock Hill’s three high schools won’t recommend rezoning high school attendance zones to deal with demographic imbalances.

A initial draft of the committee’s report said the school district should “undertake whatever action may be required – including rezoning the high school attendance zones – to correct imbalances in the (schools) populations.”

After much discussion Tuesday night, the committee deleted the reference to rezoning, saying the school district should study each attendance zone to correct imbalances in student populations, “both demographically and to address possible overcrowding at the schools.”

Recommendations to deal with the differing enrollments at Northwestern, Rock Hill and South Pointe high schools – as well as “similar access to funding” for athletics and other student activities consumed most of the committee’s discussions Tuesday night.

The two issues were the reasons the Rock Hill school board formed the 15-member committee in August. The board’s decision followed an accountant’s review of activity funds at all three schools.

The Greenville accounting firm of Greene Finney & Horton found that accounting procedures at the schools were inconsistent. It also found that South Pointe has run deficits in its per-pupil activity accounts for several years.

A study of common athletic costs also showed disparity, largely due to the distance South Pointe has to travel for its away games. The committee noted, however, that the study was only 15 percent of athletic costs. The committee’s draft report called for a more comprehensive and accurate analysis of the cost of running student activity programs by the school district and the caveat that a “heavy reliance on booster club revenue also raises the risk of inequity.”

The board asked the committee to broadly consider equity issues. The committee looked at demographic data, academic performance, course offerings, athletics budgets and projected growth.

Adjusting school district attendance zones, regardless of the grade, is usually a controversial issue. Rock Hill schools redrew the high school lines when South Pointe opened in 2005, but has made only minor adjustments since then.

When South Pointe opened 10 years ago, the anticipation was the enrollment would grow with the development of the southwest portion of Rock Hill. South Pointe’s enrollment peaked in 2010-11 at 1,420 students has been falling since. There were 1,304 students last year.

Northwestern and Rock Hill have seen enrollments rise. In 2010-2011, Northwestern had 1,672 students, which increased to 1,854 last year. Rock Hill’s enrollment for the same time period went from 1,892 to 1,965.

The committee dropped the specific rezoning language because some members felt they were pushing one option at the expense of other measures the school board could use. It will recommend that the school board review school attendance zones every three to four years for possible action.

The committee also discussed whether Rock Hill should adopt a “feeder system” where middle schools and a high school are linked. Currently, the three high schools receive students from each of the five middle schools.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Rock Hill equity panel: High school rezoning not an option."