Wake County seeking virtual comments on student assignment proposal | News & Observer

Wake County school leaders are touting the “transparent” way they’re seeking virtual public comment on the draft 2015-16 student assignment proposal.

Wake is using the MindMixer app through its Envision Wake Schools website to solicit public comments on the assignment proposal. Other people can see the 325 comments that were posted as of Wednesday night and provide responses. School administrators have been among those responding to the comments.

“This is by far the most transparent plan I think you could possibly have for parents to see it as it’s developed now, make comments on it,” school board vice chairman Tom Benton said at Tuesday’s work session. “There will still be meetings for them to go to to talk about it. I mean, I don’t know what more we could do to put something out there and to give parents and interested community members a chance to voice their concerns and questions about it.”

Topics people can comment on include:

• Do you see a neighborhood/ subdivision that will be separated in the proposal?

• What additional factors should we consider when assigning students to this school? (There are separate topics for Abbotts Creek and Scotts Ridge elementary schools and Apex Friendship High.)

• What recommendations would you make to improve this proposal? (This is for the base attendance changes at Durant, East Garner and Washington elementary schools and Durant and Lufkin Road middle schools.)

• What recommendations would you make to improve these proposed calendar changes? (This is for the calendar alignment changes in western Wake.)

• Families may be affected by other boundary changes. How would you improve what is proposed? (This is for changes not mentioned in other sections.)

There are also sections to comment on the proposal to convert Ballentine and Wakefield elementary schools to the traditional calendar and Alston Ridge and Mills Park elementary schools and Mills Park Middle School to the multitrack year-round calendar.

Benton said that it makes more sense for parents to send comments via MindMixer so that everyone can view them as opposed to only to board members.