Jacksonville residents continue to oppose moving elementary school

Jacksonville Residents urged the city council Monday not to provide land that will be used as the new site of Kitty Stone Elementary School, despite the school board’s recent decision to move the school to city owned property near Jacksonville high school on the cities southside.  The school board’s decision last week to build the school on George Douthit Drive hinges on the availability of a city-owned lot adjacent to Jacksonville High School. Members of the city government and the school board have said the council planned to donate the property to the schools, but the council has yet to hand the land over.  Now, residents who want Kitty Stone to stay in it’s current location in an effort to preserve  the character of the town  are appealing to council members. About a dozen residents spoke for nearly an hour monday in opposition to the school board’s decision to relocate the school. City council president Mark Jones said Monday that he thinks the school board should have decided how Kitty Stone will be used before it decided to build a new elementary school elsewhere.