Board Of Education Reviews 2004-2005 Growth Management Plan
March 24, 2004 - The number of students in the proposed Growth Management plan for 2004-2005 has been reduced by 100, after the Wake County Board of Education's four-hour work session yesterday.
Board members who heard from 100 speakers (64 at Green Hope High and 36 at East Wake High) at the March 17 public hearings and other constituents who contacted them directly, reviewed the proposed plan with WCPSS Growth Management Senior Director Ramey Beavers making changes before voting on the plan March 30.
Board members agreed to remove several nodes:
|
Node |
Schools |
Students |
Change |
|
136.0 |
Combs Elementary to Dillard Drive Elementary |
80 |
Reassigned |
|
391.6 |
Davis Drive Middle to Salem Middle |
1 |
Reassigned |
|
298.3 |
Durant Road Elementary to Heritage Drive Elementary |
9 |
Year round transportation |
|
309 |
Durant Road Elementary to Heritage Drive Elementary |
9 |
Year round transportation |
|
309 |
Durant Road Middle to Heritage Drive Middle |
1 |
Year round transportation |
|
TOTAL |
100 |
|
|
When Beavers presented the proposed plan to the board March 2, he said the move of 80 Combs Elementary students to Dillard Drive Elementary was not needed. During the work session yesterday, board member recommendations removed another 20 students from the plan.
The proposed plan now includes 7,738 students moved for year-round transportation changes and reassignment. There were 6,412 students reassigned and 1,326 moved for year-round transportation changes.
Board chair Susan Parry asked board members Amy White, Patti Head, Beverley Clark and Kathryn Watson Quigg to serve as a subcommittee to review the current transfer request process with special attention to timelines and unique circumstances.
The proposed plan will fill seven new schools opening next year. The schools include Forestville Road Elementary, Jones Dairy Elementary, Heritage Middle and Knightdale High in eastern Wake County and Highcroft Drive Elementary, Turner Creek Elementary and Salem Middle in western Wake County. Jones Dairy Elementary, Turner Creek Elementary and Heritage Middle will operate on the year-round calendar.
Current enrollment for 2003-2004 is 108,970. The Wake County Planning Department projects enrollment will reach 113,150 next year.
The growth management process began with a series of 11 community meetings in the fall. Input from these meetings was used to draft a proposal presented in January. More than 1,800 public comments on the proposal were used to refine the proposed plan presented to the Board of Education March 2.
The board is expected to approve the plan when it meets March 30.
-wcpss-