So what was the Fayette County school property that led to halting the work of the redistricting committee in mid-October? Turns out it was Rivers Elementary School.
Superintendent Jeff Bearden confirmed Friday that he gave the school system’s Community Advisory Committee that information at a recent meeting.
“I told the Community Advisory Committee that Rivers is the property under consideration. I have not yet released the name of the potential buyer. At this point, they do not want their name released and I do not want to do anything that may potentially jeopardize the possible transaction,” Bearden said.
A Nov. 1 post on the “Take Action for Public Education” page on Facebook noted that Bearden disclosed to members of the superintendent’s advisory council that “the proposed purchase/lease purchase is for Rivers.”
It is currently unknown why Bearden passed the information to the advisory group. What is known is that Bearden at the Oct. 15 meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education recommended, and the board approved, putting the work of the redistricting committee on hold until an undisclosed potential property deal could be addressed.
Bearden said that due to a potential property deal that had surfaced and might impact redistricting he was recommending that the work of the redistricting committee be put on hold. Bearden said it could take a couple of months to determine if the property deal would be finalized. Bearden kept his remarks brief and did not identify the property under consideration.
The redistricting committee was formed during the summer to develop and recommend student attendance boundaries based on the two options identified by the school board. Option 1 included the potential closure of Hood Avenue Primary School and Fayetteville Intermediate School along with Fayette Middle School. The idea was for Hood Avenue and FIS to be transitioned to Rivers. Option 2 dealt with the potential closure of Brooks and Tyrone elementary schools and the closure of Fayette Middle.
