Wake County school board unanimously approves reassignment plan, paving way for major changes
CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Wake County School Board unanimously approved the school reassignment plan on Tuesday night - a process that's been ongoing for decades.
"Reassignments have been happening ever since I was in school," said School Board Chairman Chris Heagarty. "And they've been part of our culture because Wake County is a fast-growing county and we're unable to keep up with that growth."
Thousands of Wake County students will be shifted to different schools as the school board struggles to address ongoing growth.
The school reassignment plan is 126 pages long, outlining the changes on the way to multiple schools, but the most effect is seen at the elementary school level. Classroom sizes are capped, and schools are overcrowded in all 26 schools across all grade levels will see changes.
The district is opening four new schools next school year, and the students will be shuffled into them so they can start opening their doors.
Many parents said they were disheartened by the decision. An estimated 3,500 students will be moved though about half are eligible to apply for an exception.
"Families will have to make a choice, as early as next week, and for some it's exciting, and for some, it's awful," said Lindsay Mahaffey, who represents District 8 on the school board.
Though the presence of parents on the night of the vote was slim, many parents voiced their concerns during the past several months about how they feel it would negatively affect their families, with some children being pulled out of established school communities, others forced to travel farther to school, and some families with multiple children now being on different schedules.
"It's one of the most frustrating things about this process," Heagarty said. "But there's a lot that goes into the reassignment process and we can't give everybody what they want."
One of the biggest pieces of criticism from parents throughout this process is that the board isn't listening to parent feedback. Several board members pushed back against that assertion during the meeting.
The board even honored family feedback up to the last minute during the process - amending a portion of the plan on the same night they approved it.
As notifications start going out next week to families who will be reassigned, they will have a decision to make: Whether to apply to stay at their existing school or figure out the logistics of moving somewhere new.
One parent, Jason Schreuder, has three young children who will switch back and forth between year-round and traditional calendar year schedules at different times if his family is not granted an exception.
"We'll be on multiple, multiple calendars and we're going to have to juggle that with two working parents, and it's going to be a nightmare," he said.
Another parent in a similar situation, Bailey Butler told ABC11: "We've worked so hard to build that community consistency, that network of parenthood, it would just be devastating."
This is not the last reassignment that will happen in Wake County, as the process is ever-evolving in the district. The school board urged parents to get involved early in the process before plans are final.
"If they stay at an existing school, they might have to provide their own transportation, and that could be a barrier," Heagarty said. "So, we want to make sure parents have enough time that they can have an informed decision about where they'd like their child to go."
