Brandywine Elementary is located on Martin Rd. south of McFarland and Highway 9.  Brandywine is currently under construction with a total building cost of about $17.9 million. The funding for Brandywine Elementary has been paid for in part from prior referendums with the remaining half of funds coming from state reimbursements for money that we earned through the state's capital outlay program.

DeSana Middle School is located on James Rd. just south and west of the intersection of McFarland Parkway and Union Hill Rd.  The total construction cost for the new middle school is $29,576,000 with state funding an amount of $10,949,105 and the local share being $18,626,895 from the 2014 bond. 

FCSS will begin the redistricting process in the fall of 2015 in preparation of opening both the new elementary and middle schools in 2016.  Brandywine will pull students from four existing elementary schools, Big Creek, Midway, Shiloh Point and Vickery Creek.  The opening of Desana Middle School will directly alleviate overcrowding at two middle schools, Piney Grove and Vickery Creek. 

New High School     

The new high school will be located in SW Forsyth on land between Mullinax Rd and Fowler Rd. The land purchase and construction is funded by the 2014 bond referendum. The school is projected to open in 3 years - August, 2018. 

The process of naming the new high school is now underway with public input on the school name recommendations coming by this April.  

Attendance lines for the new high school will be determined in the fall of 2017. 

Redistricting is necessary whenever a new school is opening. As a parent who has gone through redistricting and as a BOE member, I understand that the redistricting process is one very few look forward to. Schools are part of our community that so many have invested in for years.

Rarely a day goes by that I am not asked the question "Is our subdivision switching high schools?" or that someone says to me "I heard at school today that subdivision X is definitely getting redistricted". 

Let me make this clear. Any one who says "they know" does NOT. No one knows at this point.

Later this year a very specific timeline for the redistricting process will be established  for the elementary and middle schools opening in 2016. With a 2018 opening date redistricting for the new high school will take place in 2017. 

Staff will spend months reviewing enrollment data in order to determine potential attendance zones before making a first draft recommendation. The staff committee may consider things such as:  preliminary numbers for attendance zones for the new schools, how much relief is needed at existing schools, the impact and affect on transportation and staffing, prior redistricting for given subdivisions as well as school feeder patterns.

In the fall, draft attendance lines will be posted online and in the effected schools.  During the redistricting process there will many opportunities for input from parents, teachers, staff and the community via online surveys, public forums, local school councils, etc.  Feedback will be used to help make potential changes and the subsequent drafts for further review by everyone.

The final vote on the revised district lines for the first two schools will most likely occur by the end of this year.  This leaves time for school administrators to hire and reallocate teachers and staff, modify and test transportation/bus routes, and also allow time for the affected schools to plan accordingly for any necessary changes and communication they need to do as well.