Renovations at Garner School on Hold After Enrollment Impasse

Garner, N.C. — Members of the Wake County school board's facilities committee decided Tuesday to hold off on renovations at Smith Elementary School following a demand from Garner officials.

The town's Board of Aldermen voted to require the Wake County Public School System to reduce the number of low-income children in schools in order to get a Certificate of Occupancy at Smith Elementary and Aversboro Elementary schools.

Town leaders blame the school district's policy of busing in low-income students from southeast Raleigh. Poverty rates are measured by the number of students who get free and reduced lunch.

Smith Elementary has the district's highest concentration with 70 percent of students receiving free and reduced price lunches. Avensboro has 53 percent receiving free and reduced-price lunch. The board's goal is to keep schools under 40 percent.

School officials decided Tuesday to move ahead with renovations at Aversboro Elementary. They said students would be able to use a new elementary school currently under construction if they hit a road block with Garner town officials.

"People have asked me if this is about race. It 's about the human race," said Mayor Ronnie Williams. “If Garner schools were treated equally, we’d have healthy percentages of (kids who receive) free and reduced lunches."

"It is true that Garner and eastern Wake County have higher percentages of affordable housing, which means you have a higher percent of low-income families," said Chuck Dulaney, the school system's director of growth management.

Board members have argued that students who go to Smith Elementary live near the school. They said they may have to bus in students to balance the schools.

Garner leaders have fought the district over the issue on many occassions. At one point, they talked to lawyers in Charlotte about a possible lawsuit. This summer, they fought the location of a new high school.

School Board Chair Rosa Gill said she'll work to set up a meeting with Garner town officials to discuss the issue as soon as possible. It is not yet known if the meeting will be open to the public.

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Think you missed my point. Compare the 3 schools my eldest attended - Aversboro Elem, E Garner Middle, and Garner High, with Fuquay Elem, Middle, and High (because they all have Fuquay in the name). All Fuquay FRL ratios are about 20 points lower than the Garner Schools. Conversely, the performance measures (EOGs, etc) are all higher for the FV schools than the Garner schools. So, imagine that! FV has lower FRLs, and higher performance! (I fully realize that you can probably find a specific school in Garner and FV in which the roles are reversed.) In no way do I think my children are too good to go to school with any segment of the population. What I do think is unfair is that Garner schools are subjected to a FRL % that is significantly higher than the county average. (The FRL % for the 3 FV schools denoted above are right at the co. avg.)

And since you've chosen to attack me directly, as opposed to having a 'grown up' conversation, I choose this to be my final post to you.

Garnerwolf1
December 12, 2007 4:30 p.m.

Perhaps this will refresh your memory on how issues ending up unfolding with Garner and YR schools.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1474759/

poohperson2000
December 12, 2007 3:03 p.m.

BTW, it not like I live inside the beltline, I live in Fuquay. Bus the kids somewhere else and let Garner form their own system and fend for themselves. You will find that it is not as easy as you think.

poohperson2000
December 12, 2007 2:59 p.m.

Sorry that I do not live in Garner but still have an opinion. To me kids with FRL are not any different than other children. I know some people would argue and feel differently, but that is my opinion. Kids that come from families with money, can still be trouble and perform poorly at school. The only people that are okay with labeling are those that feel like their label is a "good" one. And do not say that if we did not bus, these kids would not be labeled if they attended neighborhood schools (which most kids bused from Raleigh into Garner only have magnet schools to choose from). Funny thing is Garner schools do not seem to be in the news for violence, poor scores, or other assorted issues. What is the complaint if the kids and the schools are performing. The only difference is you think your middle class kid is too good to go to school with someone who has a less fortunate family.. For goodness sakes, grow UP!

poohperson2000
December 12, 2007 2:58 p.m.

So at the end of the day, you don't live in Garner and your children apparently go to schools with low FRLs. You are incorrect that the Mayor brought the issue up during the year-round 'debate'. It was brought up, again and again, well before then. But, since there appeared to be the possibility of significant school reassignments, that did seem an opportune time to press the issue. And the School Board meeting I attended at N Garner Middle seemed to indicate a preference for year round schools, especially to have a yr-round middle in Garner instead of going all the way to Apex. (Except for the crowd of Broughton parents who were afraid their offspring might be, gasp, shipped to Athens Dr or elsewhere)

Garnerwolf1
December 12, 2007 1:23 p.m.