Board Approves Designating 19 Elementary Schools to Year-Round

At its meeting this afternoon, the Board of Education approved transitioning 19 elementary schools to the multi-track year-round calendar beginning in 2007-08 to provide space for the thousands of additional students entering Wake County schools.

The Wake County Public School System had 126,922 students in school today. This is 7,425 more students than the 119,497 students who attended the seventh day of school in 2005-06. On the 20th day of 2005-06, student enrollment was 120,504. WCPSS will check enrollment again on day 10 and 20.

After lengthy discussion on how to handle growth, on May 16 the board approved the conversion of enough elementary schools to the year-round calendar to gain 3,000 seats as part of the new building program. Schools on the multi-track year-round calendar can serve 20-33 percent more students than those on the traditional calendar.

The board then gathered extensive community input through work sessions, public hearings, online comments, e-mails and phone calls, before today's vote.

Ballentine, Baucom, Brassfield, Green Hope, Harris Creek, Highcroft, Hodge Road, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Leesville Road, Lockhart, Middle Creek, Olive Chapel, Pleasant Union, Rand Road, Salem, Vance, Wakefield and Willow Springs elementary schools will transition from the traditional to the year-round calendar in 2007-08. The school board also added a magnet program to Forestville Elementary in Knightdale.

At the Committee of the Whole meeting earlier today, the school board reached consensus on a number of items and directed staff to come back with a plan or strategy for making the following accommodations for teachers and families:

• Children of teachers at all year-round schools will be guaranteed placement on the same track as their parents

• Children of 12-month staff at year-round schools will be given priority of placement on the same track as their parents

• Fourth- and fifth-graders at year-round schools whose base attendance area is converted to year-round will be allowed to grandfather without transportation

• Kindergarten through third-graders at year-round schools whose base attendance area is converted to year-round will be given priority to stay on the same track

• Siblings will be given priority placement on the same track at year-round elementary and middle schools

The board also asked staff to come back with proposals and a timeline for expanding the current process of applying to magnet schools and for calendar options.

On Tuesday, September 12, the board will continue discussions on possibly converting some middle schools to the year-round calendar. The board will hold a public hearing regarding the middle schools at 7 p.m., Thursday, September 14; the location is yet to be determined.

Posted by Kristin Flenniken at 05:20 PM on September 05, 2006 | Leave Feedback

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