Wake Board To Discuss Ways To Ease Overcrowding In Schools

The school system is out of space and leaders hope the modular mix will help with overcrowding until new schools are built.

"This is a way to deal with the kids we know are going to be knocking on our doors next year until we can come up with a long-term plan at a faster pace to meet the demands," school board chair Susan Parry said.

Faster than expected growth and new state guidelines on third-grade class size are creating a shortage of classroom space. Wake County schools are 5,000 to 6,000 seats short headed into the next school year.

The decision at the Oct. 5 school board meeting was to move ahead with a plan to build as many as three modular elementary schools plus a ninth-grade center for Wakefield High School.

Wildwood Forest Elementary and Lynn Road Elementary are being considered as possible locations.

Students would attend a modular school for a year or two before moving into a new school.

The school system is also expected to have a breakdown of where 168 mobile classrooms will end up, as well.

Board members will vote on the $34.4 million cost and then ask county commissioners to release the funds from PLAN 2004, the bond issue that passed last year.

"The voters have approved $1 billion to build new schools to have new permanent seats. The public expects permanent seats for their children," Bryan said.

Some parents are concerned that the proposal means delaying or even derailing new construction and renovations. Eastern Wake Parents are losing money to renovate their high school and land to house a new middle school.

"People in eastern Wake County are being denied funding and access to better schools. It's got to stop," parent Stephen Ammons said.

A total of

12 meetings are scheduled

through November.