Tired of excuses, parents in this Wake County town demand more schools

Parents in this western Wake County town are tired of sending their children to middle schools and high schools in Cary.

"Morrisville is the only town in Wake County that does not have a middle or high school," said Jennifer Breva, spokeswoman for a group that's calling on town and school leaders to work together to bring a middle and high school to Morrisville. The group took its campaign to the Morrisville Town Council on Tuesday.

Breva noted that the base middle school for her Morrisville neighborhood is East Cary. "It is a 25-minute car drive from my house," she said, adding that she sends her kids to private school instead.

At Tuesday's meeting, council members were sensitive to criticism that they had not done enough to bring a middle school and high school to Morrisville. But some said the buck stopped with Wake school leaders, Wake commissioners and state lawmakers.

"We do not have a legal authority to approve school construction," said Councilman Steve Rao. "That is the responsibility of the Wake County school board. We cannot fund school construction. That is the responsibility of the Wake County commissioners."

Growth in Morrisville isn't lost on Wake school leaders, said spokeswoman Lisa Luten. "Morrisville is experiencing a lot of growth," she said. "We're building rapidly in that area to keep up."

Luten pointed to Parkside Elementary, which will open in Morrisville in 2019, and Alston Ridge Middle, which will open in Cary, also in 2019. Green Level High in Cary will open in 2019 and free up room in the area high schools that serve Morrisville, she noted.

But Alston Ridge Middle and Green Level High don't have Morrisville addresses, and neither do any other middle and high schools in Wake's seven-year school-building plan.

Meanwhile, school commutes for Morrisville families are getting worse, Breva said.

"A neighborhood in Morrisville — Breckenridge —was at Mills Park Middle in west Cary until that school became too crowded," she said. "Residents in west Cary did not want to change the calendar from traditional to year-round to fit more students, so Breckenridge was sent further away, to West Cary Middle School."

Alston Ridge Middle is an 11-minute drive from her house, Breva said, but she worries it will fill up quickly, especially because it will operate on a traditional calendar. In Wake, a year-round calendar can increase a school's capacity by more than 30 percent.

School board member Kathy Hartenstine acknowledged the calendar situation at Alston Ridge. "We believe we need more traditional schools based on demand," she said. "However, our hands may get tied" if the need for classroom seats outweighs the preference for a traditional school, she added.

The long commutes to Cary schools are making it hard for parents and the Morrisville community to support middle and high school students, Breva said. "It is a burden for families to live far from schools and fight RTP traffic to get there for volunteering, meetings with teachers, PTA meetings and after-school activities," she said.

"School success is all about parent involvement."

At Tuesday's town council meeting, parent Kevin O'Connor noted that Cary has one middle school for every 27,000 residents. Morrisville, with roughly 25,000 people, is nearing that population threshold.

"We have zero middle schools," O'Connor said. "That is not right. We need this. We need the council to work with the school board."

Breva said she and other parents have heard the excuses for Morrisville's school deficit and found them lacking. "The town of Morrisville tells us there is no land," she said. "But there is land that can be rezoned. (The Wake school system) tells us they can't afford the land. But the town can help supplement those purchases."

Breva faulted the town for not setting aside land for schools. "Morrisville was poorly planned," she said.

Rao, the council member, called on residents to lobby state lawmakers to allow Morrisville to enact fees on development. "Because if we had impact fees, I can tell you this, we would have millions and millions of dollars that we could invest to build new schools," he said.

Councilman Satish Garimella said he would remember Morrisville's school needs when Wake leaders come asking for support for the next school board referendum. "If anyone comes to me as an elected official for this one, I'll ask: What is for Morrisville? What are we getting?"

Councilman Jerry Windle called on the council to step up its game. "I appreciate the idea that the town has advocated for years," he said. "What bothers me as an individual and as a brand new council member, we have advocated so strongly for years and yet we're not one inch closer to getting a new school.

"The people of Morrisville have elected us to be their representative voice to stand up for them and to make it happen," Windle said. "I think we have a renewed commitment to get with the board of education and not just ask nicely but start demanding."

Breva said she was encouraged after talking with Hartenstine. But Hartenstine said Wake builds schools where they're needed, not necessarily where they're wanted. "Wake County builds schools for the district, not a particular town," she said.

Breva remains frustrated. "I am tired of saying goodbye to neighbors because of the lack of schools here," she said. "I am tired of paying real estate taxes and seeing schools being built in high-growth areas, but Morrisville is sent to Cary's leftover schools."

This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Tired of excuses, parents in this Wake County town demand more schools."