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New Century Technology students armed with signs asking to save their school made up a large portion of the crowd at Columbia High School Thursday night for the fourth of five public hearings on plans to close up to nine Huntsville schools.

The crowd, which numbered just under 200, sought information on the proposal of demographer Steve Salmon, who told the school board on June 2 that it should close Butler High School, four middle schools and four elementary schools. He also recommended moving New Century across town to Lee High School.

Many audience members expressed concern about moving the technology-based school off the Columbia campus, which is located near many of the city’s high-tech businesses.

One woman said she didn’t want her son to be moved from the current location because of the negative impact on his time in the Junior ROTC program.

“It would be his senior year and he would have to move,” she said. “He would have to move from his Army leadership. I know he is not the only one. There are many kids who would have to veer from their paths.”

Dr. Ed Richardson, a consultant for the school system, said the capacity at New Century and the lack of room for expansion at Columbia was the main reason for Salmon’s decision. He said the school would have more room at Lee.

“That’s just a trade-off you have to make,” Richardson said. “I know there’s never a good time to move a program.”

Richardson said Salmon also found that the majority of New Century’s students live in the Lee district.

Many in the audience disagreed out loud.

“Check your figures, no,” one woman shouted.

There was dissension between the school system panel and the audience when audience members argued that the Columbia campus was initially meant for New Century.

Madison Harrold, a New Century student who penned most of the signs students bore Thursday night, said that is one factor that has students so angry.

“We worked so hard to be accepted to New Century,” Harrold said. “How can they make us move to a school we didn’t choose to be accepted to?”

Another audience member asked if Butler students would also be moved to Lee.

James Wilson, a colleague of Salmon’s who presented the audience with Salmon’s recommendations, said that is a decision that would likely be made further into the consolidation process, after data regarding attendance zones, enrollment and transportation had been compiled.

Salmon’s contract is expected to be extended so he can help the board compile that data.

The elementary schools Salmon targeted for closure are Monte Sano, Montview and West Mastin Lake, as well as either Mountain Gap or Whitesburg. On the middle school level, he advised the system to close either Mountain Gap or Whitesburg and consolidate Westlawn, Davis Hills and Ed White into a 1,200-student middle school program at Butler.

The system will host its final public hearing on the consolidation plan Tuesday in the Lee cafeteria. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

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