Wake OKs plan to reassign 3,500+ students to different schools. Here’s what to know
Wake County’s newly approved student assignment plan could move more than 3,500 students to different schools in 2025 despite the objections of some families.
The Wake County school board approved the new plan on Tuesday that’s designed to largely fill four new schools opening in western Wake and ease crowding at several schools. Some families are upset that they’ll now attend schools that operate on a different calendar and/or that are further away.
Both student assignment staff and school board members said the choice to move students was difficult but necessary, given the crowding concerns in Wake.
“There are no great options,” said school board member Lindsay Mahaffey, whose southwestern Wake district is impacted heavily by the plan. “There are least worst options.”
Susan Pullium, senior director of student assignment, said 48% of those being moved are eligible for a “stability transfer.” This means they’ll be able to stay at their current school if they provide their own transportation.
The 3,500 students who face being moved make up 2% of Wake’s 160,000 students, Pullium said.
Bowling Road will open on traditional calendar
The board made one change to the plan on Tuesday. At the request of board vice chair Monika Johnson-Hostler, the new Bowling Road Elementary in Fuquay-Varina will now open on a traditional calendar, instead of the proposed multi-track year-round calendar.
Johnson-Hostler pointed out that Bowling Road will share the same campus as Fuquay-Varina Middle School, which is on a traditional calendar. Johnson-Hostler was joined by other board members who said it doesn’t make sense to have two schools on the same campus with different calendars.
Student assignment staff had recommended the multi-track year-round calendar to ease crowding at schools in the area. The multi-track calendar can increase a school’s capacity by 20% or more by putting the building in constant use throughout the year.
Pullium warned that having fewer seats at Bowling Road means they may need to reassign students in a few years instead of giving them the stability they’d get from being on a year-round calendar.
Western Wake focus of reassignments
The plan moves students out of 25 schools: 15 elementary schools, six middle schools and four high schools.
Most of the plan impacts southern and southwestern Wake, where several new schools are scheduled to open in next fall.
In 2025, Wake is opening Felton Grove High School in Apex. The district will also open Bowling Road Elementary in Fuquay-Varina, Pleasant Plains Elementary in Apex and Rex Road Elementary in Holly Springs.
Pleasant Plains and Rex Road will all use the multi-track year-round calendar. They’re drawing students who are now attending traditional-calendar schools or who will have siblings attending traditional-calendar schools.
New students are also being moved to take advantage of the additional capacity from a major renovation of Baucom Elementary in Apex.
“Staff tries to create a plan that will impact the least amount of students as possible,” said Glenn Carrozza, assistant superintendent for school choice, planning and assignment.
Wake will contact all the families directly impacted by the reassignments. Principals will also get information on how to help support families.
The public can view the plan at wcpss.net/2025enrollmentproposal.
Parents unable to get plan changed
A handful of adjustments were made in October from what had been released in September. But no additional changes were made Tuesday, even though they were requested by the 13 speakers at the Nov. 12 public hearing.
Several parents had complained about the hardship that would come from having to switch to a year-round calendar, where students have periodic breaks during the school year.
But student assignment staff said the year-round calendar is needed to deal with crowding in western Wake.
Kaitlyn Treder, one of the parents who spoke Nov. 12, told the school board on Tuesday that the public hearing was “just for show.” Trender said the assignment process has shown a “blatant lack of transparency.”
“Voting no is the way to go,” Treder said during public comment Tuesday. “Please listen to your constituents.”
Board chair Chris Heagarty told reporters after the vote that they listened to parents, even if their changes weren’t reflected in the approved plan. He said not approving a plan was not an option.
“We can’t go back and undo every recommendation in the plan or we’d have no plan,” Heagarty said.
District denies board member influenced plan
Some speakers at the public hearing also questioned whether favoritism was involved because Mahaffey’s Apex neighborhood was dropped in October in a revised plan.
Mahaffey said she has talked with Pullium two to three times a week but has denied using her influence to get her neighborhood dropped. Mahaffey’s children attend magnet schools so aren’t directly impacted by the plan.
During the board work session on Tuesday, Mahaffey asked Pullium to address the claim. Pullium said the staff realized it was an error to initially propose the reassignment when people in the neighborhood questioned the move.
“It had nothing to do with influence from the board but was all staff-driven,” Pullium added.
Some of Mahaffey’s neighbors have also denied that she lobbied for the change.
How stability transfers work for WCPSS
Wake will open a stability transfer period, or what has been called “grandfathering,” from Dec. 4 to 18 for students who don’t want to move to a different school.
Students affected by the assignment changes can remain at their current school if they file a request during the stability transfer period and agree to provide their own transportation.
The stability rules will vary, however, depending on what school a student is reassigned to next year.
▪ Current students entering fourth and fifth grades who are reassigned to Bowling Road, Pleasant Plains or Rex Road elementary schools can stay at their current school. In addition, their younger siblings will be able to stay with them at their current school.
▪ Rising freshmen and sophomores reassigned to Felton Grove High can stay at their previously assigned high school as long they’re together with an older sibling who will be a rising junior or senior. Those students will be able to ride the bus with their older sibling.
▪ Rising sophomores in Apex High’s Academy of Information Technology and Apex Friendship High’s Academy of Engineering who are being reassigned can request stability transfers.
▪ Current students heading into grades 1-5 who are reassigned to an existing elementary school can stay at their current school. Their younger siblings who are entering kindergarten next year can stay with them.
▪ Current students rising into grades 7 and 8 who are reassigned to an existing middle school can stay at their current school. Their younger siblings entering sixth grade next year can stay with them.
▪ Current students rising into grades 10-12 who are reassigned to an existing high school can stay at their current school. Their younger siblings who will be rising freshmen next year can stay with them.
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 8:39 PM.
