Parents continue fight against Wake County School Board reassignment plan

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Parents got their last chance to weigh in Wednesday night on a highly contested reassignment plan by Wake County Schools.

A public hearing on the third draft of the plan came out last week and a public hearing was held Wednesday night.

Nearly 30 parents signed up to speak.

"Because our numbers are so low, cutting us out is not going to let us meet your two goals of removing the cap and meeting the K-3 mandate, so why move us?" said parent Chase Brady It really is lose-lose for everyone here."

Brady said their numbers for children going into elementary school are dwindling early year.

Leslie Douglas has two children at Adams Elementary. Both are enrolled in year-round schools, and she wants to keep it that way.

To do that, her option would be Lufkin Middle, since East Cary is converting to a traditional school year program. She said Lufkin would be four times the distance.

"Honestly my way of life doesn't work for traditional. I'm a big proponent of year-round education," Douglas said. "With the year-round calendar, we've been able to take vacations with our kids to the mountains in the winter and yes to the beach in the summer like everybody else.

"I'm looking at two hours of my work day gone," Douglas said. "I'm looking at my kids being on the bus for two hours or in the car for at least an hour a day, sacrificing time they could be spending in extra-curricular activities."

The school district is trying to ease overcrowding and is opening four new schools -- Alston Ridge Middle School, Parkside Elementary School, Green Level Hope High School, and Southeast Raleigh Elementary School.

The reassignment plan would shift many students around to fill those new schools from traditional to year-round schools.

"I know that creating a new school and populating it inherently creates some instability but our objection is that you are creating more instability than is necessary, and it's going to impact our children negatively," said Tatia Markland.

Two attempts to defer the reassignment of students in the Cameron Pond community from Mills Park schools failed.

The Wake County School Board is expected to make a final vote on the plan on November 20.