WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |Parents protest rezoning in Williamson Co.

Parents protest rezoning in Williamson Co.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Parents in Williamson County talked directly with school board members Thursday night about a controversial plan to rezone schools.

Just seven years old, Ravenwood High School is already overcrowded.  There are four portable classrooms this year and more than 1,900 students.

Under the proposed rezoning plan, the Williamson County School District wants to move about 200 Ravenwood students from neighborhoods in the area east of Cool Springs to Centennial High School.

Parents like Mike Estes, whose son would be affected by the rezoning, are upset with the proposal.

"He's been going to Ravenwood High School [sporting events] since he was a sixth grader at Woodland and now all the sudden he's supposed to be a Centennial student.  From a practical point of view, although it's only four miles away, we might as well be moving to Kansas City," said Estes.

In addition to uprooting their children, parents are concerned the rezoning will cause their property values to drop.

"I'm concerned a lot of us are going to try to jump ship and all put our houses up for sale and we're not going to be able to sell them,” said Ann Brinkmann.  "We're not going to be able to stay at Ravenwood and we're not going to be able to get what we put into our houses."

Williamson County schools wanted to build a new high school in the eastern part of the county to relieve overcrowding at Ravenwood but due to the current economy, the option is off the table.

"We know that people don't like to be rezoned and unfortunately with the economy the way it is, it looks like it is going to be our only option for some time to come now,” said schools' spokesperson Carol Birdsong.

Hundreds of students and parents showed up Thursday night wearing Ravenwood red to fight against the rezoning.

After waving their signs outside, the parents went into the cafeteria to voice their concerns to school board members scattered throughout the room.

Some parents became emotional during the meeting and said it was hard not to be when their children are involved.

The Williamson County School Board meets again on November 30.

The school system's new superintendent, Mike Looney, starts the next day.