With no vote taken on facilities plan, Savannah-Chatham superintendent back to drawing board
Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) Superintendent Denise Watts recognizes that the 2024-25 Long-Range Facilities Plan feels disruptive to families. Following Wednesday's contentious school board meeting, she still went ahead with a scheduled press conference on Thursday afternoon at SCCPSS's Central Office on Bull Street.
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"[The plan] is change and we are sensitive to that, and prioritizing that, as we think about how to move forward," Watts said. "Balancing the humanity of that [plan], we're also looking at the overall district as a whole and how we can operate in the most efficient manner possible."
She reiterated transportation, overutilization of some facilities and underutilization of others as the immediate challenges that still require a solution. She said, "What we heard from the community yesterday signaled to me that we need to go back to the drawing board, and with the community's engagement, generate and ideate around some additional solutions."
Much like modifications were made to the plan after hearing from members of the Carrie E. Gould Elementary School community, Watts envisioned a road to compromises on New Hampstead.
The Gould compromises mean that the district's IT department is still in the market for a new central location. Also at Wednesday's board meeting, District 8 representative Tonia Howard-Hall said, "Based upon the modifications [to Gould plan] that puts me at ease, however...we're going to have to change the name of GMG [Groves-Mercer-Gould Complex] because there's no longer Gould."
When asked about the name at the press conference, Watts said, "I've shortened it to MG. But as of yesterday, it's just going to be X because until we figure out the Western Chatham County growth, I'm not sure who will be in that building, or how we will populate that building."
Watts will be attending a District 7 Town Hall meeting at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 12 at West Chatham Middle School, 800 Pine Barren Road. "We plan to engage parents around some potential solutions," she said.
On Jan. 10, 2024 the district aims to be prepared to, Watts said, "advance our best thinking."
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During the press conference, she also referenced her 100-Day Plan Listening and Learning Report that detailed strengths and challenges within the district. "I think it's important that we hold up both of those things as equally valuable and important. Our strengths obviously give us momentum, and our areas that we need to grow will give us the opportunity to move from good to great."
She referred to the report as a launchpad for the district's strategic plan ahead of the next cycle of budgeting.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at jschwartzburt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah-Chatham superintendent back to drawing board
