HOLLY SPRINGS -- The public hearing Tuesday night was held to discuss year-round versus traditional school calendars, but many who turned out wanted to talk about neighborhood schools and their effect on diversity.
About 100 people turned up at Holly Springs High School for the first of five "community engagement meetings" set up by the school board. The goal is to use information from the meetings - along with the results of a survey on school calendars - to make decisions about the year-round schools for the 2010-2011 school year and in the long term.
The new majority on the school board campaigned against mandatory year-round attendance, but the members decided to get more comment before making a decision to affect the coming school year. A recent Wake County schools system survey showed that about nine out of 10 parents were satisfied with the calendar at their child's school and not looking for change.
"The main finding of the survey is perhaps the system isn't as broken as we thought it was and that the mandate for change is an illusion," Holly Springs parent Sara Kempin said. "I believe the year-round calendar and magnets are successful and should not be eliminated."
But many wanted to speak in support of a change toward neighborhood schools, while others argued against ending the current diversity policy, a move that some fear could group low-income, minority students at certain schools.
"You are going to create pockets of poverty and you are going to turn back to segregation, which is not a program that has worked for Wake County," said Nathaniel Wood, of Fuquay-Varina.
"My charge to you is to stay the course," said Warren Williams, a Fuquay-Varina resident, strong supporter of the current board majority and their promise for neighborhood schools.
Joy Sprink, a Cary parent, spoke on behalf of the residents of Carpenter Village, who are concerned their children were assigned to faraway schools.
"My oldest of three boys is currently a sixth-grader at East Cary Middle School," said Sprink, noting that her son has a 45-minute one-way bus ride.
Jen Duerr, another Carpenter Village resident, pleaded for rezoning the area to Mills Park or Davis Drive middle schools. "We are basically the hole in the doughnut," Duerr told board members. "Please act on your belief."
Holly Springs resident Liz Parry said the meeting's year-round focus missed the point. "It's time we focused on academics instead of logistics," said Parry, a public-school parent and advocate. "The calendar issue is small potatoes compared to the academic issues we face."
Several parents said they simply wanted a decision, almost any decision.
"Make a decision quickly," pleaded parent and year-round supporter Chris Dahm. "Right now we don't know what's going to happen."
"As a school board we understand the impact on families, and we are here tonight to listen," said school board chairman Ron Margiotta, noting that members would not respond to remarks during the meeting. "We truly are listening."
