By Charlotte Matherly, contributor
With an expected influx of new residents into Rockingham County and several schools in need of repairs and approaching capacity, school board members are feeling the squeeze.
Board members are piecing together a timeline of construction projects set to reshape county schools over the next decade, and several board members said they’re torn over what issues count as immediate needs and what expansions to prioritize.
“We’re getting tight in lots of places,” said board member Jackie Lohr, who looks to have narrowly won reelection last week by 18 votes, according to an updated preliminary count.
Demographic shifts and new housing developments coming to the county, particularly in the area southeast of Harrisonburg, will fill up or overpopulate at least four schools, Superintendent Larry Shifflett estimated earlier this fall.
Adding to the pressure is a new $3 billion factory in Elkton, which the pharmaceutical company Merck broke ground on last month. It’s expected to create at least 500 full-time roles and 8,000 construction jobs. Shifflett also anticipates Massanutten’s population to grow in a few years.
The board could take several courses of action, including moving up the construction of a new elementary school, currently planned to open in 2032. The queue for half a dozen other projects could also be shuffled, based on the biggest need and the most effective order.
As the school board grapples with how to adapt to the forthcoming population influx, some construction projects are already underway in the county, including renovations at Elkton Elementary School and the expansion of Pleasant Valley Elementary School.
After that, the most immediate priorities are additions and renovations to McGaheysville Elementary School, where design work is nearly complete and the contract is out for bid, as well as plans for a new Massanutten Technical Center.
Next on the list are an addition to Elkton Middle School in 2028 and an expansion of Spotswood High School, set to finish in 2030. Board members are considering switching the two projects, however, as Shifflett projected enrollment will ebb at Elkton Middle over the next few years.
If Spotswood doesn’t move up in the queue, Horst said she’d like to try and fix some glaring problems in the meantime, but she’s torn on whether that’s a prudent use of public funds.
“If we’re going to go in and replace sinks, but then in two years we’re going to rip out the entire bathroom, is that pointless?” Horst asked. “This isn’t my money — this is taxpayer dollars — so I don’t want to waste their money putting in a temporary fix, but I also know Spotswood needs some love.”
Despite all the options on the table, one thing was clear: Redistricting is almost inevitable.
“If we build a new elementary school, we’re still going to have to redistrict students to that elementary school,” Shifflett said. “Students will still have to move schools, so we’re not getting away from that.”
Some parents have balked at the idea of redistricting, and board members are tasked with weighing two somewhat competing interests: a financial duty to taxpayers and the emotional impacts of redistricting on students and their families. District lines were most recently redrawn not even two years ago.
The next redistricting effort could also depend on a new face on the school board. Board member Matt Cross said during his reelection campaign this year that he’d prefer redistricting over building because there’s still room in some schools, but his challenger and soon-to-be replacement, Hilary Irons, said a new elementary school could be a wise investment.
Board members said they hope to take their time with this one. Shifflett has submitted a rough idea for redistricting with board members, but Horst said she hasn’t seen a plan that feels “right” to her yet.
“I don’t know that that’s the plan that I’m comfortable with,” she said, “and it’s not because I shy away from redistricting or doing a hard thing — we’ll do it if we need to — but it needs to make sense and it needs to be what’s in the best interest of the whole division.”
School board looks to reevaluate grading policy
After Thanksgiving, Shifflett said he will look to assemble a committee of parents, teachers and school administrators to evaluate the county’s grading practices and prepare a potential overhaul.
“I know that grading is really near and dear to people’s hearts, but we’d like to have a little consistency with that,” he said.
Grading policies will be examined at all education levels, but Horst and another board member, Hollie Cave, said grades have become more relevant to each student’s learning level and progress rather than to broader standards.
“We just need to be able to have real and honest conversations with parents, and that’s what the report card is: real and honest conversations with parents,” Horst said. “If your child is behind, we need parents to know that so that they can take action.”
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