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New Schools Questions

1. How can we find out what schools are planned five (5) years from now, ie new high schools? How can we have input to that so we can plan our children's education?

Plan 2004, (2004-2008), will provide funding for two new high schools, plus the infrastructure site construction for the high school site in Wake Forest's Heritage Area. The initial needs list presented by the Board of Education to the Wake County Commissioners included construction funds for the Heritage area high school plus another new high school that has yet to be sited. The next round of capital construction should contain funds for these projects.

The school system relies on input from PTAs, other community groups, local governments, outside consultants and other citizens in developing building plans. If you would like to provide input or suggestions, write the Facilities Department, 1551 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh, NC 27610.

2. Map of new school locations available online or hard copy?

These are available in the power point presentation given at the September Community meetings and on the WCPSS Website.

3. Why doesn't the school board work with the various city councils to require land for schools before granting zoning changes by developers?

WCPSS staff works very closely with the county and city and/or town governments when searching for suitable school sites, and during the planning and design of the schools. In addition, the staff monitors new housing developments and pursues the feasibility of setting aside land for school sites. We will address the set-aside issues with Wake County staff.

4. Has Jones Dairy Elementary been designated to reopen as a traditional or a year round school?

Currently Jones Dairy is scheduled to be a traditional school. There is currently under discussion a proposal to consider making it year round. That decision will likely be made in October. The Wake County School Board has indicated that they favor the year-round calendar for Jones Dairy.

5. With all the growth and development going on in North Raleigh, are there plans for new schools in this area and if not, how can we make developers more responsible for providing land and funds for new schools?

Yes, the construction of a new Brier Creek area elementary school in northwestern Wake County is included in the Plan 2004 capital improvement program, as are several schools in the northeastern part of the county. There are two additional schools in the plan for which sites have not yet been identified. Construction of additional schools in North Raleigh is restricted by the limitations on building in the Falls Lake watershed area.

6. What is being done to put the focus for building new schools on the developers who are making incredible amounts of money from the growth due to the new neighborhoods they build? Wake County would never permit them to build new homes without first putting the infrastructure for utilities, roads, etc. Why should it be different with education?

7. Why not raise the amount you are willing to pay per acre of land so you can afford the better plots of land?

Where circumstances dictate that additional funds are necessary, the Board may elect to spend the amount needed to secure the purchase of land. WCPSS budgets just over $50,000 per acre for site purchases. Some portions of the County have lower land prices than others, and joint-development with public partners can further reduce our expenditures. If property is offered for sale and is suitable for school construction pricing is negotiable. If land is available, yet the owner is unwilling to sell, condemnation may occur that would reimburse the owner for fair market value of the land. However, such legal actions are avoided if possible.

8. Why would you make Jones Dairy Elementary year round when Heritage Elementary is close to it? Will this cause reassignment of students at Heritage Elementary?

It is easier to make an "empty" school have a different calendar than to change a "full" school's calendar. If Jones Dairy became a year round school it would change the assignment pattern for Heritage Elementary since Jones Dairy is within the current assignment pattern for Heritage.

9. Every new subdivision in the southeast side of Raleigh seems to show Garner High as the base high school. Is there a particular reason for this?

New subdivisions are assigned to schools where there are seats. There have been no seats available at SERHS for base students. Garner is the next closest high school at this time.

10. If we have over 70 elementary schools in Wake County, why are we planning to build 7 new elementary schools and only 2 new high schools when the overcrowding problem is so great?

For 2002-2003, just over 50,000 elementary students were enrolled in elementary schools; 25,000 in middle schools; and 28,000 in high schools. The seventy-nine elementary schools averaged 635 students per school; twenty-five middle averaged 1,007 students; sixteen traditional or magnet highs averaged 1,771 students.

Therefore, it takes almost three elementary schools to fill a high school, and about 1-2/3 elementary schools to fill a middle school. WCPSS has sufficient capacity at the middle school level in all but one area of the county to meet the target of 92% of all students in permanent seats. We need additional elementary schools and high schools to stay close to the target of 92% in permanent seats by the end of 2008. If more funding is available more new schools could be constructed. The next new school on our priority listing to the Board of Commissioners was for a new high school.

11. Why aren't more traditional high schools built to accept the feeder base students and permit more magnet students to attend magnet high schools?

As a practice, students attending a magnet middle school have priority to attend a magnet high school. All program magnet schools have a base population consisting of students who live in the immediate area. We think this is a good way to balance schools to keep all schools healthy.

12. What can you tell me about the planned high school in Holly Springs? When will it open? Will it house another high school temporarily? What high schools will it draw from?

The new high schools in the western part of the county are scheduled for opening in 2006. They are not scheduled to serve as swing space for other schools. The draw areas for these schools have not been determined.

13. At high school level, if you have a rising 11th grader, with the younger child that is arising 9th grader be allowed to go to the same school if there is a reassignment? Will children in a single family be split between schools?

That is possible if the parent chooses to "grandfather" one child while the other child moves to the newly assigned school. The other way this would happen is at the high school level when a new school opens with only 9th and 10th grades.