What keeps the Oak Ridge school superintendent awake at night?

What keeps Oak Ridge School Superintendent Bruce Borchers awake at night?

The projected growth in student enrollment this decade at the aging city schools.

Borchers, who is serving in his 10th year as superintendent in Oak Ridge, told the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge that between now and 2030, some of the city's school buildings - ranging in age from 55 to 73 years old - must be renovated, brought up to code and possibly expanded or supplemented by the construction of up to two new schools if land can be obtained to build them on.

He cited projections based on city estimates of proposed and active housing developments and industry reports. By 2030 the population of Oak Ridge is expected to rise from about 32,000 currently to 39,000 (and 42,500 by 2040). More than 1,700 jobs may be created between 2022 and 2030. The U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors support more than 14,600 full-time jobs, according to a 2020 report.

More than 150 school-age children live at The Preserve, a fast-growing housing development of more than 500 homes on the Clinch River at the far western part of Oak Ridge. As a result, the enrollment at Linden Elementary School, which opened in 1968 in the city’s western area, is rapidly increasing. An extrapolation of Linden’s rising enrollment starting in 2018-19 and ending in 2028-29 indicates that the number of students could grow from 425 to 783, an 84% increase.

In the same time frame, the number of students in Oak Ridge schools could grow from 4,667 in 2018-19 to 5,434 in 2028-29. That’s 767 more students by the decade’s end, or a district increase of 16%.

Good news about Oak Ridge Schools

Borchers’ talk included lots of good news on the state of Oak Ridge schools.

“Our students didn’t really have the learning loss during COVID that you hear other school districts suffered,” he said. He noted that the elementary school student scores in English language arts and mathematics continued to rise during and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, which started in March 2020.

He reported that three Oak Ridge elementary schools – Linden, Glenwood and Willow Brook – as well as Jefferson Middle School were named Reward Schools because of their “improving overall student academic achievement and student growth.” This status is the top distinction a school can earn in Tennessee.

Third-grade retention law

Borchers predicted the law could cause major problems for many school districts, including Oak Ridge, especially if more than half of third graders are prevented from advancing to fourth grade. (EDITOR'S NOTE: This law was slighty altered by the Tennessee Legislature in the most recent session, but is awaiting Gov. Bill Lee's signature on the changes.)

“If I have to hold back 200 third graders, I will be out of room,” he said. “I may have to find five more rooms and five more teachers because of the class size law.”

He noted that the Oak Ridge school system has brought in an increased level of support to help third-grade students master the essential standards, including reading specialists, case managers, teaching assistants and tutors. Students are learning test-taking strategies, and a “summer bridge camp” will be offered to those who plan to retake the TCAP test. Volunteer tutors are accepted at Willow Brook Elementary School in its “Readers and Leaders” program.

Pay, teaching positions

Noting that nationwide many teachers feel demoralized because of low pay, lack of resources, rising work demands and excessive control of what they can and cannot teach by conservative state legislators and a minority of vocal parents, an LWV member asked if Borchers has encountered difficulties recruiting and retaining teachers.

He answered that, thanks to the school board and city, “Our schools are funded well and we’re one of the districts with the highest paid teachers in the state. It’s easier for us to recruit and retain teachers. We are even attracting really good, level five, teachers from nearby counties and cities.”

He conceded that it is sometimes difficult to fill special education, science and math positions, but the larger challenge is finding substitute teachers willing to take over a class when needed. “It’s gotten better since COVID,” he said. “We’ve raised substitute pay a little bit to incentivize people to come in.”

In his talk and answers to questions, Borchers made these points.

Renovations, improvements, banned books and SROs

This century many renovations have been made in Oak Ridge schools: at Oak Ridge High School from 2005 to 2008; at Woodland Elementary School in 2010, at Robertsville Middle School in 2021 and at Willow Brook Elementary School in 2022.

The energy-saving, cost-saving renovations at Robertsville include new HVAC equipment, ductwork, controls, lighting, an exterior shell, double-paned insulated windows and an insulated wall panel system. In addition, the repainted school has new carpet, a loading dock, added parking spaces and new signage.

The Ben Martin Track Improvement Project has produced one of the premier high school track facilities in the state.

Black history in Tennessee and the United States is being taught in Oak Ridge schools.

Despite the efforts of extremist groups throughout the nation to ban library books that touch upon LGBTQ concerns, no requests have been made to remove books from Oak Ridge school libraries. (According to Mike Stallo of the Oak Ridge Public Library, no one asked the library “to remove any particular books. We were asked to put labels on a few titles.”)

Very few parents attend community meetings that address school issues, such as increased vaping by Oak Ridge students and the possible hazards to the lungs of e-cigarette smoking.

Concerning the need to prevent active shooters from entering schools, Borchers said that the district has three school resource officers provided by the Oak Ridge Police Department. One SRO is at the high school and the other two are at the middle schools but are available to the elementary schools nearby.

ORPD Chief Robin Smith is seeking grant funds to pay for stationing an SRO in every Oak Ridge school, and Oak Ridge Schools staff is applying for a large grant to fund additional safety measures. The staff has received advice from a Department of Homeland Security officer in the region.

“It’s just a scary time,” Borchers said.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: What keeps the Oak Ridge school superintendent awake at night?