Apex Parents Have Different View of Year-Round School Debate

APEX, N.C. — Dozens of Wake County parents have voiced their displeasure over their children going from a traditional school calendar to  a year-round school calendar, but several parents at one Apex school are seeing their schedules turned upside down in a different way.

The parents of rising sixth-graders want their children to make the short walk from West Lake Elementary School to West Lake Middle School, but since it would not be the students' base school, there is a chance their kids will be placed on a traditional calendar as part of the new reassignment plan.

Many parents said they have fallen in love with the year-round lifestyle.

"So now to say that we've got to go traditional -- after hearing all these traditional parents, saying we want to stay traditional -- that's just hard," said parent Shery Buser.

West Lake Middle School Principal Dr. Gregory Decker also knows the district has to make room for 8,000 new students next year.

"I'm very sympathetic to what is going on here," he said. "Parents are comfortable with what they have. You're going to have the year-round people that want to stay year-round and the traditional that want to stay traditional because change is tough."

According to Wake County schools, families will be notified of the results from their magnet and calendar applications and their track assignment (if year-round) on March 15.