Nash, Edgecombe school district split plan would mean teacher cuts, students switching schools
The newest draft plan is out for the demerger of the Nash and Edgecombe County school districts, which will send more than 1,600 students from Nash to Edgecombe schools next fall.
As both school boards and Nash and Edgecombe county leaders are set to meet to discuss the impending split, some families have persistent questions about how the transition will unfold.
Lee Michael Harrison was volunteering at his great-granddaughter's elementary school when he first heard that word: demerger.
“They said that Edgecombe will soon be taking over the school,” Harrison told WRAL News.
On July 1, NC Senate Bill 248 will require the Nash and Edgecombe school districts to be split down county lines.
Up until now, the Nash district has included four schools in the Edgecombe county portion of the city of Rocky Mount, with Edgecombe County paying Nash County Public Schools to educate some of its residents.
The demerger will put an end to that, and some families of transferring students have concerns about the impact the demerger will have on the schools that are changing districts.
“Supplies, teachers, the function of the school, counselors,” Harrison listed among some of his concerns.
On Oct. 16, the Nash and Edgecombe school boards and county boards of commissioners will meet, working to finalize a demerger plan by the state deadline of Nov. 15.
The latest NCPS draft plan says their district will send 1,662 students to Edgecombe schools, and three elementary schools and one middle school will be absorbed by the Edgecombe district.
Nash schools will also send more than $5.6 million in federal and local funding for those students to ECPS.
And with a drop in enrollment, the Nash school district plans to eliminate 170 staff positions, including 118 teachers.
The ECPS draft plan for the demerger says their district will review staffing needs at their four new schools, and hold hiring fairs to give outgoing Nash staff the chance to work for their district.
“An expedited application and acceptance process will be utilized for staff currently serving at Fairview Elementary School, DS Johnson Elementary School, Baskerville Elementary School and Parker Middle School, including a series of talent recruitment events,” an ECPS spokesperson told WRAL News.
Both districts’ plans say for Edgecombe County residents currently enrolled in grades K-8 at Nash County public schools, it will be mandatory to switch to an Edgecombe County school.
But from January 2024 to March 2024, current high school students will have the opportunity to apply to be a legacy student, with the Nash district approving them to stay at their Nash County high school by the end of the spring.
WRAL News reached out to both Nash and Edgecombe county and school board leaders for a response to their latest draft plans and any concerns heading into the October 16 meeting.
Edgecombe leaders didn't respond, but the head of the Nash board of commissioners says he believes both sides are in agreement on all major issues regarding the demerger.
That meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Rocky Mount Event Center and will be streamed on WRAL.com.
