Many in Augusta have been very loud about their thoughts on a proposal to “rightsize” area public schools, and over the past week, they didn’t hold back in public forums.
The Richmond County School System played host to several community input meetings regarding their tentative Facilities Masters Plan, which would close multiple schools, open others and move many students around over the next few years to better utilize resources and secure more state funding.
There was a wide range of topics and issues brought up throughout the week, from questions about funding and transparency to teacher placement and concerns about students with special needs.
Rightsizing:Augusta school rightsizing plan angers some, supported by others ahead of input meetings
Peggy Dixon, a social worker, was concerned about the anxiety issues these moves might induce.
“These children have really gone through a lot emotionally and socially with the COVID shutdown,” Dixon said. “Children have to have stability … particularly for our small children who sort of look at their teachers, not as a substitute mother, but as someone who loves them, and they’re going to be jerked out and put in unfamiliar surroundings with someone they don’t even know.”