By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — Laura Reichert will be happy to see kids walking up the sidewalk from the New Deal-era school building, friends by their sides, backpacks and lunch boxes in hand.
The approval last week of a seven-millage property tax increase in Trussville will allow for two more elementary schools, one to be in a renovated school on Parkway Drive, the other to be constructed near the Magnolia Place subdivision.
“Neighborhood schools for little ones will be a huge plus for all,” said Reichert, a Cahaba Project resident who is a Trussville teacher.
Reichert said the increase being approved, 59 percent for to 41 percent against, was a “prayer answered” for many Trussville residents.
“These Paws Need Solid Walls” became a slogan for Trussville City Schools during the campaigning process. On Feb. 25, the “need” in the slogan became “will get.”
photo by Ron Burkett
“It is a given that no one wants to pay more taxes but when faced with the dilemma of classroom overcrowding plus the added problem of ‘temporary’ portables housing 300 little children, this tax was a no-brainer,” Reichert said. “Trussville will not stop growing just because there is not enough space in the school for the kids that are here now, not to mention the influx that is expected in the next few years.”
Reichert said it will be great for teachers and administrators to really get to know their students in a smaller school setting, and for parents to find parking spaces and drop off their children without sitting in 45-minute car lines.
“We are relieved that the children will be in approved buildings with storm shelters and in less crowded classrooms, and we are blessed that so many children will be attending our schools,” she said.
Reichert said she’s proud to be a Trussville resident, educator and parent of children who attended Trussville schools.
“Trussville has shown that she will keep providing what is best for students in order to maintain the legacy begun so many years ago by our city founders,” Reichert said.
Magnolia Place Homeowners Association President Dan Bayse said everyone he has spoken with about an elementary school being built near the neighborhood “has been elated.” He said he has yet to hear any negative comments from Magnolia Place residents.
“We are all expecting our home values to rise more than the tax will cost us, and the reality of having a storm shelter to shield our children and grandchildren from storms, and one that we can use, is also something the people I’ve talked with are excited about,” Bayse said.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
