Wake to release school assignment plan Saturday

The proposal is the first time district officials have tried to forecast student assignments for more than one year. Officials said they want to reduce the year-to-year uncertainty for families and provide better-defined feeder patterns from elementary to middle schools and middle schools to high schools.

The draft is based on the opening of schools that are in the school construction program. Ten schools are scheduled to open during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years.

The second and third years in the student assignment plan are linked to schools opening in those years and are contingent upon capital funding and enrollment growth.

The nationwide credit crunch has caused county officials to look at delaying some school construction projects because the county has been unable to sell the bonds needed to pay for the projects.

District staff met with teachers, principals and parents from schools that would be impacted by the opening of schools, gathering feedback in developing the initial proposal. Unlike last year's reassignment plan, which included only elementary school students, this proposal will affect students at the elementary, middle and high school levels, officials said.

Five community meetings will be held for people to comment on the proposal. Those are:

The meetings will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium of each high school.