Ron Fazio: Cary needs more schools

In reading the April 21 news article “Cary wants school predictability,” I’m puzzled. Look around the western Cary area. There are multiple construction sites: new homes, large and small, going up as if on a conveyer belt. Yet this same area is bursting at the seams in school overcrowding.

Panther Creek High School was originally built for 1,600 students and is overflowing with approximately 2,600. Both Mills Park Middle School and Mills Park Elementary School are at or over capacity and capped.

So new families moving into the Cary Park, Southbridge or surrounding neighborhoods cannot get into the schools.

I had to laugh because the article stated that, “The town has attempted to restrict dense growth in western Cary to keep from overburdening local schools.” Are you kidding me? There has been a gross underestimation concerning the number of families with school-aged kids who need placement in a school. Likewise, there has been a gross overestimation of the amount of building that has been allowed. There’s a big disconnect here, and the residents are having to pay the price.

We need more schools or we need the existing schools to be renovated. Something needs to be done soon.

This story was originally published April 23, 2015 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Ron Fazio: Cary needs more schools."