HYPOTHETICAL - Thomas Walker Closes

[pvfan]

Lot of talk that TW may be on the chopping block. Some chatter in Lee about trimming $1 million from the school budget by shuttering TW and St. Charles' elementary school. 

 

If this happens, how does that impact Lee? TW has around 300 kids and Lee is close to 800, even if you figure some of the TW kids would cross the state line, this would put Lee back in Class 3. The Generals football program has been on the upswing lately, Lee's track programs have been among the best in Region 2D, golf has won a state title and been a contender in recent times and softball appeared in the state tournament this year. It would also leave the M7 in the position of having two of its seven schools playing Class 3. This could lead to some seeding nightmares, not that they don't have enough already. 

 

As for 1D, nothing would change other than schools in the Cumberland would need to find another opponent out of league. 

[Union_Fan]

According to VHSL ADM numbers, Lee is closer to 650 and TW 228 for 9-12.

Only counting 9-11, as the VHSL does now, those combined numbers are 659.

That would put them in Class 3, but that's assuming every student stays put in Lee Co.

Also, those are 2022 numbers. I'm sure both have lost kids since then. By the time the next cycle gets calculated they'll probably be fine to remain in Class 2.

[pvfan]

This is from the Virginia Department of Education that was updated in September. If you average that out by class and times it by three you are around 820 kids. 

[TwhscoachT]

I would say you would bleed off 100 kids and most athletes would go to the gap. Nothing good could come of this. 3 high schools closer to Rose hill/Ewing communities than Lee high.

[Union_Fan]

37 minutes ago, pvfan said:

This is from the Virginia Department of Education that was updated in September. If you average that out by class and times it by three you are around 820 kids. 

You need to break that down by grade and not include 8th grade.

That turns into 637 for Lee and 225 for TW.

[pvfan]

1 minute ago, Union_Fan said:

You need to break that down by grade and not include 8th grade.

That turns into 637 for Lee and 225 for TW.

Thanks for the heads up. That would get them to 646 for 9-11 (average), higher than Abingdon but doesn't account for defections to Cumberland Gap or other schools. 

[Union_Fan]

2 minutes ago, pvfan said:

Thanks for the heads up. That would get them to 646 for 9-11 (average), higher than Abingdon but doesn't account for defections to Cumberland Gap or other schools. 

I've been hearing about TW closing for 20 years. Who knows if/when it will actually happen.

Like you mentioned about defections, and natural decline, there will probably be enough to keep them Class 2.

Of course, I welcome any that want to defect to Union. Lol

[Hokiebird7]

Dook would be devastated

[Unchained]

Former Bear QB is the head coach, brings his kids to Union, Joey Carroll has a stroke, Union's asst coaches go from 56 to 57. Summary:)

[JDHoss]

12 hours ago, TwhscoachT said:

I would say you would bleed off 100 kids and most athletes would go to the gap. Nothing good could come of this. 3 high schools closer to Rose hill/Ewing communities than Lee high.

That was my initial thought. I wondered how many would go to Cumberland Gap or Middlesboro. Who is the 3rd school? 

[Weatherman]

Just a thought, but may be a little far fetched. If TW is shut down, I wouldn't be surprised if LMU started a university school similar to ETSU and some other universities have. I don't know the logistics of that, but just a thought.

[1inStripes]

They already have one.  J. Frank White Academy.

[swvavol]

7 minutes ago, Weatherman said:

Just a thought, but may be a little far fetched. If TW is shut down, I wouldn't be surprised if LMU started a university school similar to ETSU and some other universities have. I don't know the logistics of that, but just a thought.

They already kinda have one.  J Frank White Academy

[1inStripes]

The previous ADM numbers the VHSL uses had Lee at 471 and TW at 171.  Combined which I imagine is a lower number than reality is 648.  Abingdon was 634.

[swvavol]

5 minutes ago, 1inStripes said:

The previous ADM numbers the VHSL uses had Lee at 471 and TW at 171.  Combined which I imagine is a lower number than reality is 648.  Abingdon was 634.

What are the enrollment thresholds for each classification?

[1inStripes]

1A - 350 

2A - 575 I think

3A - 900

4A - 1200

5A - 1500

6A - Everyone above 1500

I believe this is correct. 

[redtiger]

2 hours ago, JDHoss said:

That was my initial thought. I wondered how many would go to Cumberland Gap or Middlesboro. Who is the 3rd school? 

Hancock County in Sneedville 

[JDHoss]

31 minutes ago, redtiger said:

Hancock County in Sneedville 

Sneedville is a pretty good haul from the Ewing/Rose Hill Metroplex. Even further than Ben Hur. Someone mentioned JF White Academy. I had forgotten them, and maybe that's the 3rd school that @TwhscoachT was talking about.

[redtiger]

Maybe so, I didnt know JF White Academy existed.   

Sneedville is a haul but for some of the TW kids on the TN border it would have to be closer than Lee High., or at least similar. With some of the animosity toward Lee in Lower End I imagine some kids will go that route, and 15-30 kids could make a huge difference between 2/3

[swvavol]

1 hour ago, redtiger said:

Maybe so, I didnt know JF White Academy existed.   

Sneedville is a haul but for some of the TW kids on the TN border it would have to be closer than Lee High., or at least similar. With some of the animosity toward Lee in Lower End I imagine some kids will go that route, and 15-30 kids could make a huge difference between 2/3

I don't understand why they have animosity towards Lee High.

[swvavol]

1 hour ago, JDHoss said:

Sneedville is a pretty good haul from the Ewing/Rose Hill Metroplex. Even further than Ben Hur. Someone mentioned JF White Academy. I had forgotten them, and maybe that's the 3rd school that @TwhscoachT was talking about.

I don't know that many would want to pay the tuition to go to J Frank White.  

 

[redtiger]

8 minutes ago, swvavol said:

I don't understand why they have animosity towards Lee High.

Idk, its all Lee County to me but theres some division down there.  I guess all counties have some friction between different communities 

[1inStripes]

Theres still division among Jonesville and Pennington, much less western Lee vs Eastern Lee.  Most would go to Cumberland Gap I imagine, with Middlesboro being the next option if they went away from Lee High.

[JDHoss]

2 hours ago, swvavol said:

I don't know that many would want to pay the tuition to go to J Frank White.  

 

Probably not, at $8K a year. However, like any private school worth their sheepskin, scholarships are available, depending of course, on a prospective student's academics and/or athletic prowess. 

[TwhscoachT]

Cumberland gap 

Jfwa ( tuition is waved a lot of times or given at a major discount)

Claiborne high

Hancock

Middlesboro

And even Bell county pending on your location. 

 

The discontent with Lee and twhs has been bred in for years. Ive erased several long paragraphs but will say Lee high is like  Notre Dame. If Lee high is playing someone we are always fans of the other team. Lee high has reciprocated this by never spending a single penny more at twhs than the absolute necessity nor praising any team's success at board meetings like they do for lee high. Up until recent years, The county decision makers have always treated politics as if they is only one school in Lee county. If twhs has it, its due to our small community affording it, which is why we are extremely sensitive to responses about our facilities. We have done more with less than any other locality in the state, I can assure you of that.