About the 2005-06 Student Assignment Proposal
Dr. Ramey Beavers
Senior Director of Growth Management
January 26, 2005 - Almost every year, at least one new school opens in the Wake County Public School System. Our Office of Growth Management releases a student assignment plan that fills these new schools, relieves overcrowding at others, and attempts to ensure that each of our schools is a healthy, challenging, effective place in which children can learn.
With the opening of seven new schools and the assignment of 6,493 students, last year's assignment plan was the largest in recent history. Parents helped make it a very successful process through active participation in the community engagement meetings we held across the county. This year, the proposal is much smaller, involving only 2,177 elementary students. But public input in 12 community meetings has been invaluable in shaping this proposal, and will continue to be important during the public comment periods before it is presented to the Wake County Board of Education.
In this year's community meetings, we shared with parents the enormous challenge we face in finding enough space for our student population, which has grown faster than we have been able to build schools -- in the last two years our population has grown by more than 9,000 students. In addition to adding more mobile units to existing campuses, we discussed with parents the option of opening schools scheduled for one or two years down the road "early" by building modular facilities. Modular schools are solid, safe, pre-built buildings with hallways, restrooms, and multipurpose rooms that will provide a complete educational program.
This year, Cedar Fork Elementary opens for its own population of students after spending the last two years as "swing space" for two other schools undergoing major renovations. We will also open three modular schools as swing space in advance of the construction of three future schools. These schools are located where crowding is evident and new schools are scheduled. Harris Creek Elementary will open one year ahead of time by sharing campus space with East Millbrook Middle school. The "E9" elementary school scheduled for completion in 2007 in the Wakefield community will open two years early in a modular school on the historic DuBois campus in Wake Forest. The "E15" school scheduled for completion in 2007 off Highway 96 in Zebulon will open two years early on school property in Wendell off Highway 97.
Opening these schools early will keep the school populations together, as parents recommended during the community engagement meetings. We also heard parents' recommendations to maintain the priorities of distance, stability, alleviating crowding, keeping neighborhoods together, and providing grandfathering. 90 percent of the 2,177 students in this assignment plan are filling new schools. Small moves to Conn and Davis Drive are designed to reunite neighborhoods; while small moves to Green Hope and Green will help reduce crowding and more equitably share the challenge of educating all our students. About 358 students will have the option of being grandfathered back into their existing schools.
Opening schools in modular facilities is not a perfect situation, but it is a good temporary answer to our continuing growth challenge while keeping school communities together. Working with our facilities department and with valuable input from Wake County parents, the WCPSS Office of Growth Management has developed a proposal that we think meets the school board's goal of maintaining the health and strength of each school in Wake County. I invite you to check out the proposal at our website and take advantage of the many opportunities described there to provide your comments and suggestions. We will take them into account in revising the proposal before bringing it to the school board in March.
The last few years have seen the student assignment process become more open and receptive to public input. We appreciate your participation, and thank you for being a part of the process again this year.