TIFTON — The Tift County Board of Education will be voting on the proposed school zones for the 2018-2019 year at the July 11 meeting.

The proposed rezoning was drawn up in preparation for the planned grade reconfiguration beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.

Annie Belle Clark, Charles Spencer, G.O. Bailey, J.T. Reddick, Len Lastinger, Matt Wilson, Omega and Northside will be for grades Pre-K through 5, Eighth Street and Northeast will hold grades 6 through 8 and grades 9 through 12 will be at Tift County High School.

The new school zones were drawn to accommodate the idea of the elementary schools being feeder schools to the two middle schools, which would keep students from the same schools together from Pre-K through their senior year.

Other factors considered were demographics, efficient transportation routes and the physical size and capacity of each school.

Large maps showing the proposed zones have been on display at the Tift County Board of Education central office, located at 207 North Ridge Avenue.

Parents were invited to come in and view the maps and leave a comment card.

Reactions have been mixed, according to Director of Communications Stacey Beckham.

While some people are excited about the changes, there are some who think the proposed zoning doesn’t make sense because it would put children who live very close to one school into a different school zone.

In a previous statement, School Superintendent Patrick Atwater said “I realize the proposed zones will not please everyone just as this process has been a challenge in years past.

“Our county is very complex in it’s housing patterns, with many areas experiencing very condensed populations. In many cases a simple shift of one street can create a shift of hundreds of students from one school to another.”