Suffolk, Va. – With two new schools opening in Suffolk, the school district has announced its timeline for rezoning before the schools open in September 2018.
Suffolk Public Schools say the two new schools being built, Florence Bowser Elementary School and Col. Fred Cherry Middle School, will hold 1,800 students combined. Designed to be future-ready, both schools have open areas for flexible, project-based learning activities.
School administrators and staff are currently working through data to develop rezoning options.
The current student population of Driver Elementary School will most likely be moved to the new Florence Bowser Elementary School, as well as some students currently attending the overcrowded Creekside Elementary School.
Driver will close as an elementary school and transform into the Excel Academy at Driver, a personalized learning center designed to accelerate learning and achievement of students who have not met success in a traditional classroom.
As for Col. Fred Cherry Middle School, Suffolk Public Schools hopes that the new middle school will help alleviate overcrowding at John Yeates Middle School.
There will be multiple meetings to decide these rezoning questions.
Below are a list of meeting dates scheduled for Suffolk Public Schools:
• Thursday, November 9, 2017
o 4:30 p.m. – Suffolk School Board Work Session: Rezoning Criteria presented to Board
o 6:30 p.m. – Public Input Session #1
o Both sessions will be held in City Council Chambers, located on the first floor of City Hall at 442 W. Washington St.
• December 2017
o Rezoning proposals made available to the public on the school division’s website
• Thursday, January 11, 2018
o 6:30 p.m. — Public Input Session #2
o City Council Chambers, located on the first floor of City Hall at 442 W. Washington St.
• Thursday, February 8, 2018
o 7 p.m. — Formal presentation to School Board
o City Council Chambers, located on the first floor of City Hall at 442 W. Washington St.
• Thursday, March 8, 2018
o 7 p.m. — School Board votes on final rezoning plan
