The first day of the 2011-12 school year for students attending five year-round schools will be Aug. 1.
The Board of Education approved changing five under-enrolled, year-round schools to operate on a single-track for the next two years. The change should provide an operational savings of $400,000 each school year.
The board acted May 3 on a recommendation from Superintendent Tony Tata who asked for the change to allow principals to focus on student achievement, operational efficiencies and maximum use of resources.
The five schools are:
- Alston Ridge Elementary
- Highcroft Elementary
- Lake Myra Elementary
- Rand Road Elementary
- Timber Drive Elementary
The schools will operate on track four for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years.
The five schools have fewer projected students for next school year than the single-track capacity of the school.
| Alston Ridge | Highcroft | Lake Myra | Rand Road | Timber Drive | |
| Single-track Capacity | 800 | 800 | 766 | 724 | 741 |
| Projected enrollment | 665 | 785 | 571 | 564 | 542 |
The schools could serve more students on a multi-track, year-round calendar.
Tata recommended the change as part of a facilities utilization review and budget-building process and after surveying staff and parents at 14 schools where the student enrollment is less than 100 percent of single-track capacity.
The school system has taken steps to help families and teachers who stay at the five schools. Schools have worked closely with families to address sibling issues at feeder schools and provide transfer opportunities. The schools have made every effort to help families that have older siblings at feeder middle schools to have their elementary and middle school students assigned to track four. The schools offered a July intersession to help families who had planned on children being in school. Families who had already planned vacations that now conflict with track four will have vacation absences excused. The school system will disperse teacher pay so that teachers receive a July paycheck.