The four small schools at East Wake High School got a show of support Tuesday when the Wake County Board of Education voted for them to continue operating as a four separate high schools.

“I would like for the board to give a thumbs up or whatever,” said school board member Lori Millberg, at the end of an hour-long presentation about the schools.

Board chairman Kevin Hill asked for a show of thumbs and got it. And the four principals of the school attending Tuesday’s meeting beamed.

Parents of East Wake High school students soon will have their last chance to weigh in on the school's four-concept program.

About five years ago, the school board decided to divide the school into four schools: the School of Engineering, the School of Global Studies and Creative Arts, the school of Health Science and the school of Integrated Technology. The idea was to see if smaller schools and more one-on-one instruction would lead to better test scores.

East Wake High trails other high schools in the county on standardized test scores.

Now, the board plans to look and see if the idea is working. While the item is not on the agenda, the May 19 school board meeting at 3 p.m. does give the public a chance to speak. Speakers are asked to sign up before the meeting.

That's one meeting before when they will likely make a decision June 2 on the school's future, according to Lori Millberg, who represents District 1 which includes eastern Wake county and Wake Forest.

By that time, the board will have preliminary end-of-year test results and will be able to make a sound decision, according to Millberg.

Also on May 19, East Wake High School Principal Craig Baker will be discussing the four-school concept at a Zebulon Chamber of Commerce sponsored luncheon. It is open to the public. For more information, call the chamber at 269-6320.