Families wanted changes in student assignment plan. Did Wake schools listen?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Staff maintain proposed 2026-27 student moves, citing minimal family impact.
- Board heard staff rationale: reassignments relieve overcrowding at select schools.
- Public review remains open; final plan due in November with possible removals.
Wake County school administrators aren’t making any changes to the plan to move students to different schools next year, despite the lobbying efforts of parents.
Hundreds of students were included in the first draft of the 2026-27 student reassignment plan that was unveiled in September. On Tuesday, student assignment staff recommended only one change: to include a traditional-calendar application option for some students moving to a year-round elementary school.
Much of Tuesday’s presentation to the school board involved staff explaining why they’re standing behind their initially proposed moves. Student assignment staff repeatedly told the board that they’re trying to move as few students as possible.
“The planning team does everything we can to minimize the total number of families impacted because we get that,” said Susan Pullium, senior director of student assignment. “Change is not preferable to anyone if we don’t have to do it.”
Following the presentation, the school board held a public hearing that drew speakers who voiced objections to the plan.
“Please stop using your time and resources to move families into under-performing schools,” said Shravan Nargundkar, whose child could be moved in the plan. “Please instead use your resources to improve the quality of the schools so that more families will want to move to areas bound to those schools.”
The school district hasn’t provided the exact number of students who could be reassigned, but staff said it will be fewer than the 3,500 students moved last year.
View the plan
Pullium said much of the plan involves filling the new Hilltop Needmore Elementary School in Fuquay-Varina and adjusting the middle schools and high schools those families will attend. Other moves involve easing crowding at some schools and filling others that have open seats.
The one adjustment made Tuesday was to include Baucom Elementary School as a traditional-calendar application option for families who are proposed to be reassigned from White Oak Elementary to Turner Creek Elementary.
The public can view the plan at the district’s student assignment plan website, https://www.wcpss.net/Page/58486. People can go to https://osageo.wcpss.net/enrollment-proposal-lookup/ to search if their address will be affected.
People can provide feedback at an online forum, https://my.thoughtexchange.com/scroll/466595122/welcome.
Staff could present changes before a final draft is presented in November. At this point, Pullium said, any future changes would involve removing rather than adding new families.
The school board could vote on the plan on Nov. 18.
Why these reassignments weren’t dropped
On Tuesday, Pullium offered reasons for not making some changes proposed by families:
- Some families want to stay at Herbert Akins Middle and Willow Spring High. Staff say moving them will address crowding concerns and that West Lake Middle and Middle Creek High have the space.
- Some families in the Crestmont, Pines and Southerlyn communities want to stay at White Oak Elementary and Mills Park Middle. Staff say White Oak and Mills Park are overcrowded while Turner Creek Elementary and Salem Middle have available space.
- Some families in the Beckett Crossing community want to stay at Apex Friendship High. Staff says the move will relieve crowding and that Apex High has the space.
In addition, some families asked to be included in the plan, such as families in the Trace neighborhood who want to be reassigned to Apex High. Staff said they’d monitor those moves for future years.
Parents oppose reassignment plan
Many of the complaints during the public hearing revolved around families being reassigned to one of the existing schools.
“Our children are not just enrollment numbers,” said Shilu Roy Garrett, a parent from the Cresmont community. “They’ve built lasting relationships with their teachers and their peers and uprooting them now disrupts far more than academics. It undermines their social and emotional stability during key developmental years.”
Nazia Ahmad-Grullon, a parent from the Pines community, said the plan treats their children like numbers on a map.
“This rezoning will disrupt the lives of students who have built friendships and academic momentum,” Ahmad-Grullon told the school board. “It really shatters the peace of mind of families who choose a community for its schools, so we are simply not data points.”
Gregory Paul Richards said it was unfair to move his community because they don’t have a board member representing them since Lindsay Mahaffey resigned. School board chair Chris Heagarty and vice chair Tyler Swanson say they’re filling in for constituent needs in District 8 until the seat is filled.
“It appalls me that the staff would even consider a change to our district when our district does not even have a voice or a vote on this board,” Richards said.
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM.
