Year Round Education in the Wake County Public School System
A Historical Perspective
1987-88
The year-round concept was proposed by the Wake County Manager and Stewart Adcock, chairman of the County Commissioners.
A WCPSS committee investigated/evaluated the year-round concept. Committee members attended the National Association for Year-Round Education conference and visited year-round schools.
1988-89
The Year-Round Task Force (approximately 15 members) developed the Year-Round Pilot School Project.
A K-3 year-round program was proposed and promoted. Limited community interest caused the task force to revise their proposal and a K-5 program evolved with sufficient community interest to support a pilot school.
1989-90
Kingswood Elementary School opened as a year-round single-track program with 267 pupils --the first in North Carolina and the first magnet year-round school in the nation.
1990-91
Crosstimbers Elementary was approved as a year-round multi-track program (December 1990).
1991-92
WCPSS opened the nation's first multi-track magnet year-round school. Morrisville Elementary opened as a K-5 year-round with 750 pupils in July 1991 (originally named Crosstimbers Elementary).
1992-93
West Cary Middle was explored as the location for the county's first year-round middle school program. The negative community response at West Cary Middle led to the alternative proposal of West Lake Elementary and Middle schools as the new sites for the year-round programs.
Wilburn Elementary explored the possibility of converting to a year-round calendar. A high level of staff and parent support led the Board of Education to approve the school as a single-track year-round school, but not as a magnet school. Wilburn was the first existing Wake County school to be converted to a year-round program.
A WCPSS committee studied the impact of various options related to expanding year-round programs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
The News and Observer reported that the school system would mandate year-round education throughout Wake County (June 1992). A letter was mailed to all parents explaining the system's position on year-round education.
Durant Rd. ES, West Lake ES, Wilburn ES, and West Lake MS were added as year-round programs in July 1992, for a total of 3,142 pupils in year-round schools.
The county's second year-round middle school program was approved for the new facility under construction near Durant Road ES. Durant Road ES was designated as a temporary site for sixth grade students (and seventh grade students in 1994-95) until the new facility was ready for occupancy.
1993-94
Durant Road MS (6th grade) was added at the beginning of the school year, located at Durant Road Year-Round Elementary.
A WCPSS committee was formed to study the expansion of the year-round concept to the high school level.
1994-95
Oak Grove Elementary opened and used the new facility at Davis Drive as a temporary quarters. It opened initially on a single-track schedule (due to construction restraints) and converted mid-year to a multi-track program.
Seventh grade was added to Durant Road Middle, which was located at Durant Road Year-Round Elementary.
1995-96
The new facility for Durant Road Middle opened with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students.
Oak Grove Elementary moved into its new and permanent facility. (Davis Drive Elementary opened as a traditional calendar school.)
The Student Assignment Advisory Committee studied several issues related to year-round education and made several assignment recommendations to the board of education.
The Phase IIIB Long Range Building Program was reviewed and a master plan was developed and approved for expanding the voluntary year-round calendar from 7 schools (2 middle schools and 5 elementary schools) to a total of 4 modules with 4 middle schools and 11 elementary schools in operation by 2000.
Green Elementary (#6) opened as a year-round multi-track school.
Jones Dairy Elementary (#7) opened as a year-round multi-track school.
1997-98
Timber Drive Elementary (#8) opened as a year-round multi-track school.
1998-99
Wilburn Elementary converted from a single-tract year-round school to a multi-track year-round school.
1999-2000
Over the next seven years, WCPSS added seven more year-round schools: five elementary and two middle. These schools include Oak Grove ES, Green ES, Jones Dairy ES, Timber Drive ES, Adams ES, Durant Road MS and Lufkin Road MS. In school year 1999-2000 there were 10,929 pupils in year-round.
Lufkin Road Middle (#3) opened as a year-round multi-track school. Feeder patterns for existing elementary year-round schools were adjusted.
Adams Elementary (#9) opened as a year-round multi-track school.
A citizens advisory committee was formed following the failure of the 1999 bond referendum to study the school system's capital needs and recommend a capital-spending plan acceptable to the board and to the public. One of the committee's recommendations was "that the WCPSS provide more optional year-round schools, especially in areas where the year-round option does not currently exist." No specific areas of the county or individual school were included in the CAC recommendation.
The Board of Education approved PLAN 2000, a 3.5 year, $550 million building program which included expansion of the multi-track year-round calendar by one "module" consisting of 1 middle school and 3 elementary schools. No specific areas of the county nor individual schools were named in the plan for expansion of year-round.
The staff and board conducted a student assignment retreat that resulted in the following action steps:
- Directive from the board to continue to expand year-round program.
- Staff year-round committee was formed.
- Options regarding year-round expansion were evaluated.
- Criteria for selection of schools to be converted were developed.
- Criteria was submitted to the board for review/approval.
- Staff year-round committee selected Stough Elementary and Carroll Middle to recommend for conversion.
- Pros and cons were listed for both choices.
- Meetings were held with the Stough and Carroll faculties.
- Meetings were held with parents of Stough and Carroll students.
- Recommendation was taken to the board for approval.
- The board approved the recommendation.
- The board voted to delay implementation of the recommendation and to refrain from discussion on the issue for six months.
- Expanded the year-round committee to include parents.
- Developed a survey for parents.
- Defined lists of parents to receive survey.
- Survey was mailed, returned and tabulated.
- Results of the survey were shared with the board.
2001-02
The Board of Education voted not to convert Stough Elementary and Carroll Middle schools to year-round programs and then directed staff to undertake a long-term analysis of how best to extend the year-round program, including assessing community opinion, the realistic benefits of year-round schools to the system, and the effect of the year-round program on other schools. Office of Student Assignment began to assign nodes and ESL programs to multi-track year-round schools.
2002-03
Parents at Hodge Road Elementary and Olive Chapel Elementary are encouraged to consider converting to year-round because of crowding at the schools. Parents vote down the change in calendar.
The year-round program from Jones Dairy Elementary moves to the newly completed Heritage Elementary campus. The Jones Dairy campus is used as a swing space to house Wake Forest Elementary while that school is renovated.
Board of Education determines to open Turner Creek Elementary, Carpenter Elementary, East Cary Middle as year-round schools.
- Turner Creek Elementary (PLAN 2000) - opens 2004-2005,
- Carpenter Elementary (PLAN 2000) - opens 2004-2005 as 9th grade center, then converts to year round in 2006-2007, and
- East Cary Middle is being renovated this school year, will serve as a 9th grade center in 2004-05 and 2005-06, and convert to year-round in 2006-07.
2003-04
Heritage Elementary (PLAN 2000) opens with sixth grade preparing for the opening of the year-round Heritage Middle (PLAN 2000) in 2004-2005.
PLAN 2004 school construction program includes proposal for new year-round elementary school.
WCPSS proposes re-opening Jones Dairy Elementary as a year-round school in 2004-2005.
2004-05
Heritage Middle School opens as multi-track year-round middle school.
Jones Dairy Elementary re-opens as a new multi-track year round elementary school.
Turner Creek Elementary opens as a multi-track year-round elementary school.
2005-06
Faced with dramatic enrollment increases of more than 16,000 additional students in the last three years, the Board of Education discusses year-round schools as one method of meeting the immediate need for space in schools. They propose opening five elementary schools on the year-round calendar for 2006-07. The five schools include Barwell Road, Brier Creek, Carpenter, Holly Grove and River Bend elementary schools.
In 2005-06, there are 14,564 pupils in year-round.
WCPSS agreed to continue using East Cary Middle as a 9th grade center for 2006-07 and convert it to year-round middle school in 2007-08.
The board also discusses with County Commissioners plans for a 2006 School Construction Program referendum. They discuss creating additional space by construction of new schools and converting some schools from the traditional calendar to the year-round calendar.
2006-07
Barwell Road, Brier Creek, Carpenter, Holly Grove, and River Bend opened as a multi-track year-round elementary schools.
Board of Education and County Commissioners develop school construction program that includes transitioning 19 elementary schools and 3 middle schools to multi-track year-round for 2007-08 in response to dramatic student enrollment increases. Voters support bond referendum in November 2006. Board of Education votes to convert 22 elementary and middle schools to the multi-track year-round calendar for the 2007-08 school year.
The enrollment of year-round pupils in 2006-07 is 17,174.
2007-08
Four new schools opened as year-round, and 22 schools converted from traditional calendar, bringing the total of multi-track year-round schools in Wake County to 46.
New schools are North Forest Pines ES, East Garner ES, Sanford Creek ES, and East Cary MS. Schools converting to multi-track year-round are :
- Ballentine ES
- Baucom ES
- Brassfield ES
- Green Hope ES
- Harris Creek ES
- Highcroft ES
- Hodge Road ES
- Holly Springs ES
- Knightdale ES
- Leesville ES
- Lockhart ES
- Middle Creek ES
- Olive Chapel ES
- Pleasant Union ES
- Rand Road ES
- Salem ES
- Vance ES
- Wakefield ES
- Willow Springs ES
- East Wake MS
- North Garner MS
- Salem MS
In March of 2007 the group "WakeCARES" filed a complaint against the Wake School Board in an attempt to stop the conversion of schools to multi-track year-round. In May, 2007 Judge Howard Manning, Jr. decided that the Wake County School System may not assign pupils to a calendar other than traditional. The parents/guardians of pupils attending year-round or modified calendar schools were required to sign a consent form, or be assigned to a traditionally calendared school. The decision is under appeal.
An Enrollment Perspective of Year-Round Education
| School |
89-90 |
90-91 |
91-92 |
92-93 |
93-94 |
94-95 |
95-96 |
96-97 |
97-98 |
98-99 |
99-00 |
00-01 |
01-02 | 02-03 | 03-04 |
04-05 |
05-06 | 06-07 |
| Kingswood Elementary |
267 |
313 |
||||||||||||||||
| Morrisville Elementary. |
743 |
803 |
981 |
1017 |
1010 |
982 |
967 |
980 |
943 |
944 |
982 |
977 |
949 |
841 |
883 |
734 |
||
| West Lake Elementary |
778 |
973 |
1036 |
1029 |
1017 |
1012 |
1001 |
1002 |
1000 |
1266 |
1246 |
1168 |
1122 |
1161 |
1076 |
|||
| Durant Rd. Elementary |
507 |
680 |
788 |
1025 |
984 |
994 |
1011 |
1007 |
1001 |
1111 |
1136 |
1079 |
1096 |
1046 |
999 |
|||
| Wilburn Elementary |
522 |
526 |
537 |
644 |
693 |
772 |
784 |
842 |
942 |
1035 |
1093 |
1023 |
900 |
932 |
974 |
|||
| West Lake Middle |
532 |
839 |
1109 |
1234 |
1326 |
1386 |
1449 |
1411 |
1377 |
1427 |
1419 |
1412 |
1403 |
1368 |
1336 |
|||
| Durant Rd. Middle |
120 |
260 |
695 |
1052 |
1320 |
1487 |
1454 |
1458 |
1540 |
1688 |
1632 |
1390 |
1183 |
1129 |
||||
| Oak Grove Elementary |
648 |
944 |
1016 |
997 |
1024 |
1019 |
962 |
964 |
968 |
915 |
891 |
866 |
864 |
|||||
| Green Elementary |
614 |
704 |
770 |
769 |
766 |
768 |
715 |
764 |
735 |
719 |
588 |
|||||||
| Jones Dairy Elementary |
544 |
685 |
779 |
835 |
906 |
985 |
997 |
|||||||||||
| Timber Dr. Elementary |
552 |
696 |
757 |
818 |
975 |
925 |
939 |
941 |
911 |
931 |
||||||||
| Adams Elementary |
634 |
690 |
797 |
821 |
864 |
865 |
839 |
798 |
||||||||||
| Lufkin Rd. Middle |
256 |
579 |
915 |
1007 |
975 |
1028 |
981 |
1066 |
||||||||||
| Heritage Elementary |
978 |
1023 |
1017 |
964 |
||||||||||||||
| Heritage Middle |
153 |
716 |
1123 |
1231 |
||||||||||||||
| Jones Dairy Elementary |
710 |
810 |
955 |
|||||||||||||||
| Turner Creek Road Elementary |
587 |
725 |
821 |
|||||||||||||||
| Barwell Road Elementary | 744 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Brier Creek Elementary | 502 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Carpenter Elementary | 511 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Holly Grove Elementary | 462 |
|||||||||||||||||
| River Bend Elementary | 489 |
|||||||||||||||||
| TOTAL | 267 | 313 | 743 | 3,142 | 4,119 | 5,395 | 6,581 | 8,228 | 9,389 | 9,981 | 10,929 | 11,443 | 12,765 | 12,992 | 12,851 |
14,248 |
14,564 |
17,174 |