Letter to the Editor: Request for Review of School Zoning for Everton Villages, Towns, and Creekside

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Dear Editor,

Thank you for your willingness to cover the Everton rezoning issue. With over 460 residents supporting this effort, we want to emphasize the strong financial and logistical case for rezoning our community into Peachtree City schools. This decision would benefit students, ensure fair taxation, strengthen social cohesion, and optimize school planning for Fayette County.

Online Petition – https://www.change.org/p/request-for-rezoning-everton-community-to-peachtree-city-schools-this-excludes-parkside

Key Factors Supporting Rezoning

  1. Right to Access Higher-Ranked Schools
    • Everton residents pay a Peachtree City millage rate of 5.983, significantly higher than Tyrone’s 2.889. Despite this, our students are zoned for lower-ranked schools farther away instead of the closer, higher-ranked Booth Middle and McIntosh High School.
    • Peachtree City taxpayers should have equitable access to the city’s schools, particularly when contributing more in taxes than those zoned for Sandy Creek High.
  2. School Capacity Supports Rezoning
    • J.C. Booth Middle School has a planned capacity of 1,400 students but currently has only 1,129 enrolled (19.4% available capacity). Data taken from School annual report and the 2025 budget report are attached.
    • McIntosh High School has a planned capacity of 1,900 students but currently has only 1,669 enrolled (12.2% available capacity).
    • These numbers show that both schools have room to accommodate Everton students without overcrowding.
  3. Enhancing Social Collaboration and Student Growth
    • Currently, some children in Everton attend Peachtree City schools while others are zoned for Tyrone schools, even though they all live and play together in the same neighborhood.
    • Keeping them in the same schools strengthens social bonds, enhances collaboration, and supports long-term personal and academic development.
  4. Lack of Proper Long-Term Planning
    • The rezoning issue should have been addressed when Everton was first developed, but delays in decision-making have forced students into longer commutes, reducing access to higher-ranked schools.
    • The FCBOE’s budget includes $42 million for capital projects, and rezoning now would ensure smarter investment in school infrastructure rather than reactionary spending later.
  5. Significant Population Density Changes
    • New neighborhoods like Everton have altered population density, but school zoning has not been updated to reflect this shift.
    • A zoning review is necessary to balance student populations across schools, optimizing classroom sizes and resource allocation.
  6. Transportation Efficiency and Cost Savings
    • Booth and McIntosh are under 3 miles away and accessible via golf cart paths, which aligns with Peachtree City’s infrastructure.
    • Rezoning would reduce transportation costs for FCBOE, lower commute times, and enhance student safety.

Request to FCBOE

We urge the Fayette County Board of Education to conduct a formal study on:

  • Current and projected enrollment trends for Booth, McIntosh, Flat Rock, and Sandy Creek.
  • Capacity levels and infrastructure planning at these schools.
  • Transportation cost efficiencies and commute safety improvements related to rezoning.

With the community meeting canceled and no rescheduled date, The Citizen’s coverage is crucial in ensuring FCBOE formally addresses our request. 

Best regards,
Sumit Rayaguru