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Redistricting may affect up to 18 schools
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Published: November 6, 2009
CONCORD — With four schools being built and overcrowding at others, the Cabarrus County Board of Education discussed redistricting options this week that will affect enrollment at 16 or 18 schools in the district for the 2010-11 year.
There are three options the board is considering for elementary school boundaries, and there will be a public hearing on Nov. 23 regarding these plans.
Patriots Elementary and the A.T. Allen Elementary replacement school are expected to be completed in fall 2010. Staff for the school system presented a basic plan to accommodate these openings and two alternative plans.
The alternatives would include moving more than 100 students from W. R. Odell Elementary School to Charles E. Boger Elementary to reduce overcrowding.
The second alternative, which would move 132 students from Odell to Boger, is the one that staff recommends the board approve.
According to school enrollment figures, Odell's 2009 enrollment is 1,050 students, or 25 students above core capacity. The favored redistricting alternative would decrease student enrollment to 813 students for the 2010-11 academic year, the largest decrease of the three proposals.
The plan has been the most positively received by principals, said Jim Amendum, assistant superintendent for the school system.
"It appeared everybody was happy with that (second) alternative plan, so that's a good thing," board chair Holly Blackwelder said. "With the staff, principals and majority of the board agreeing on the plan, that's a great start for redistricting."
As for the middle and high school boundaries, the system will be preparing for the new Hickory Ridge and Harold Winkler middle schools. The board and school system staff reviewed two plans for accommodating these.
Because the board was not completely satisfied and requested changes to the plans, the staff will make adjustments and present them at a Nov. 23 work session following the public hearing. After those are reviewed, there will be a public hearing at a later date for the families affected by the plans.
Blackwelder said the board is looking forward to the public hearings and realizes there may be other components the community brings forward that the board is not already aware of.
"We won't know how the community feels until we have the public hearing," Blackwelder said.
The public hearing regarding the elementary schools will be on Nov. 23, at 6 p.m. at the Education Center. The board will have a work session at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 23, to review the middle and high school redistricting options before a public hearing on a later date.
• Contact reporter Jessica Groover: 704-789-9152
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