Glenn Elementary no longer a takeover target, officials say

Glenn Elementary School is no longer on a list of schools to be taken over by state education officials, Durham County school officials said Friday.

Glenn was one of the schools being considered for the state's Innovative School District, which would allow charter school operators to manage the campuses because of ongoing poor performance.

School officials said they were pleased that Glenn was removed from the list.

“We are excited to hear that Glenn Elementary School is no longer being considered for state takeover," Mike Lee, chairman of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education, said in a written statement. "We are moving forward with our Restart planning and implementation for Glenn, Lakewood, and other schools needing additional support."

State officials say that by allowing a charter school to run Glenn, the school's academic performance might improve.

It was not immediately clear why district officials removed Glenn from the list but several parents and teachers had joined together to prevent the state from stepping in and assuming control. Earlier this month, a group met to "Defend Durham Schools, a gathering where participants met to discuss ways to prevent the state from stepping in.

If a school is taken over, charter school operators will manage the school's operations, meaning local school boards will no longer have a say in the staffing, instruction or other educational matters at those schools. However, the school boards will still be responsible for maintaining the buildings, making sure they have the appropriate furniture and equipment and continuing to provide transportation for the students.

As of two weeks ago, the other schools on the list for consideration were:

The schools were under consideration because their performance scores were among the lowest 5 percent in the state.