Nine reasons not to split the Wake school district

When bad weather requires a cancellation of school in Wake County, we begin to hear, “Well, all of the schools don’t have to close. Look at the roads in the southern part of the county.” Then we hear calls to break up the 160,000-student district that sprawls over the county’s 835 square miles.

But there’s a lot more than weather involved in breaking up the district. There are at least nine other considerations.

First, Wake’s school history. When the Research Triangle Park began to grow in the 1960s, Wake County had two school districts: the Raleigh City Schools and the Wake County Schools. Both districts operated racially segregated schools. Driven primarily by the anticipation of desegregation, the call for merging school districts was happening all across North Carolina. The Raleigh City and Wake County School Districts merged in 1976, with a total student enrollment of approximately 60,000.

Second, political control. The General Assembly would control a split of the current Wake County School System. It would, at a minimum, determine the number of school districts to be formed, the name for each school district and the boundaries for each district..

Third, how many? Most people assume that there would be two school districts. But why stop there? Each district would still have over 80,000 students. Would this satisfy the calls for a smaller district? With three districts, each might have around 55,000 students. With four districts, each might have around 40,000.

Fourth, boundary lines. With the current large school district, there is an effort to maintain a racial balance within schools, although not always achieved. If there were more than one district, we could end up with one or more districts with a few minority students and one or more districts with a high percentage of minority students.

Fifth, administration. Each new district would need central office space, a superintendent, instructional support staff, a human resource office, technology staff, financial operations, food service operations, maintenance crews and bus fleets.

Sixth, local funding. The current school system presents an annual budget request to the Wake County Board of Commissioners for local funding. If there were two or more school districts, then there would be multiple budget proposals going to the commissioners each spring.

Seventh, bond issues. Would each school district decide when to ask the commissioners to schedule a bond referendum?

Eighth, coordination. Multiple districts would have to align athletic events and graduation dates. Would there be special schools that might draw students from more than one district?

Ninth, the transition. There would be changes in the letterhead for all the current school forms.. Each new district might want its own logo painted on all of the school buses and maintenance trucks.

All of this could be done. How much time and money would it take and what would be the cost? When all is said and done, would the students of Wake County have a better educational experience?

Robert Williams of Fuquay-Varina has been a resident of Wake County for almost 60 years. Prior to retirement, he had been an employee of the Wake County Schools, Wake Technical Community College, and an Associate Dean of the College of Education at N.C. State University.