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Tuesday, October 14, 2008 10:43 AM High schools might not redistrict By Stephanie Creech | Times Senior Writer No formal decisions have been reached, but the Wilson County Board of Education might not change the attendance zones for the three high schools next school year after all. The board will still move forward with its plans to redistrict the elementary and middle schools. The elementary attendance zones have to be changed because of the opening the new John W. Jones Elementary School on N.C. 42 next fall. Craig Hill, assistant superintendent for accountability and technology, presented the board with four different scenarios for redistricting the elementary, middle and high schools during its workshop Monday night. Between now and when it meets again next Monday night, the board will attempt to narrow down which of the different scenarios it wants to look at in more depth. Board members Henry Mercer and Wiley Boyette were the most vocal supporters during the board's work session for not redistricting the high schools. Mercer, who is seeking re-election to the District 4 seat, said Lucama residents are opposed to changing from Hunt High School to Beddingfield High School. But Mercer said people in the Beddingfield district feel like if they are going to gain students at Beddingfield those students should come from the Lucama area. Mercer also questioned whether sending more students to Beddingfield would hamper current efforts to improve academic performance at Beddingfield. Mercer said he thinks people would be more accepting of high school redistricting if the board exhausts all of its other options. Wilson County Schools Superintendent Larry Price said Beddingfield is moving in a good, positive direction and adding students could further affect the poverty level at Beddingfield. Based on first-month attendance figures for this academic year, Beddingfield has 990 students enrolled compared to Fike with 1,243 students and Hunt with 1,384 students. To balance the numbers, students from Fike, Hunt or both would have to switch to Beddingfield. Under Scenario 2, for example, more students from within the city of Wilson would be shifted from Fike to Beddingfield. Such a shift would increase the number of low-income students at Beddingfield. Boyette said he wants to "leave well enough alone" when it comes to the high schools. Boyette said he can't support moving the high school lines. He said he also thinks the board should study the middle schools more before making any decisions. Boyette said he's OK with moving the elementary school lines. He said he sees no problem with the proposed changes that would affect Rock Ridge Elementary School. Board member Christine Fitch said the board tries not to move students, but every so often it has to "bite the bullet" and redistrict. Fitch described redistricting as a "necessary evil" and expressed thankfulness that Wilson is not Wake County, which has to redistrict every year due to growth. She said she thinks not redistricting the high schools means the board isn't "doing any justice there," because the high schools are already "out of whack" since Hunt and Fike are operating over their official capacity. Board member Eunice Lindsey said they could move mobile units that will be vacated at the elementary schools to the high schools to create more classroom space. Fitch has also asked Price to provide the board with information about facility requirements for the Exceptional Children's program. Fitch said she is concerned about the effect redistricting will have on that program. Some Exceptional Children's classes require more classroom space than others, which could affect space availability for other students at some schools. Price said some Exceptional Children's classes are not facility dependent, but that some do require specific space. Looking at the middle schools, board member Marvin Sessoms, expressed concern about the proposal to extend the attendance zone for Darden Middle School all the way to the Wilson County line. That proposal is found in Scenario 1 for middle schools. Extending Darden's attendance zone would raise Darden's student population to more than 500 students, up from its current population of 262 students. But Darden students are also struggling academically, and, like at Beddingfield, efforts are being made to get Darden back on track. The board will need to decide if increasing the student population at Darden would adversely affect the school. If Darden's district is expanded, the students would come from Speight Middle School. Students from both schools would continue to go to Beddingfield High School so the feeder pattern would not be disrupted. Board member Robin Flinn said she opposes extending Darden's zone to the county line because it would put Speight operating way under capacity. Flinn said she doesn't think the board wants a middle school with such a small student population. At the elementary level, all four scenarios call for pulling students from Rock Ridge, Vinson-Bynum and New Hope schools to create the Jones district. Under Scenario 3, students as far away as Starship Lane, which is off Airport Boulevard, would be taken from New Hope and moved to Jones. Hill also pointed out that under Scenario 3, students living along London Church Road would be moved from New Hope to Elm City. When determining the attendance lines for the new school, the board has to consider where it thinks more residential growth is going to occur over the next few years. Will more people continue to move into the Rock Ridge area or will more growth occur closer to the new school site as the area between Forest Hills Road and Airport Boulevard fills in. Board Chairman Will Winslow said he thinks the area behind Jones Elementary will see more dense growth in the future. The board will continue its redistricting discussion during its next meeting on Monday at 7:30 p.m. People can voice their thoughts about the redistricting proposals during the public comment time at that meeting. creech@wilsontimes.com | 265-7822 Wilson County Schools Redistricting Maps: View Gallery or Download: |
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