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WakeEd
The WakeEd blog is devoted to discussing and answering questions about the major issues facing the Wake County school system as it prepares to undergo historic changes. Will the new school board scrap the diversity policy in favor of neighborhood schools? Will year-round schools be converted back to a traditional calendar? How will the new board respond to growth and the school construction program?
WakeEd is maintained by The News & Observer's Wake schools reporter, T. Keung Hui. While Keung posts information and analysis on the issues, keep us posted on your suggestions, questions, tips and what you're doing to cope with the changes in Wake's schools.
Panther Creek's modular problems
Submitted by KeungHui on 09/08/2008 - 13:17
The crowding problem at Panther Creek High School these first few weeks of school has generated a good bit of media coverage.
The combination of rapid growth around the Northwest Cary school and the inability to get 22 modular classrooms set up before classes began has slammed Panther Creek. As was noted last week, students are using the media center and the auditorium until the modulars are installed.
The situation has raised questions about the process Wake uses to install modulars. It's also pointing to how high school students will likely be reassigned in 2009.
Click here for how Wake has explained why the modulars weren't ready on time. The school board's facilities and operations committee plans to discuss what happened with Panther Creek's modulars on Tuesday.
The Town of Cary has cut the school district a break by giving a permit to allow the modulars to be installed before the completion of a traffic study. It's no guarantee though that Wake will get final town approval.
Mike Burriss, Wake's assistant superintendent for facilities, said the ability to start the work now has helped the school district out. He said the goal is to have the modulars ready by Dec. 18.
At this point, Panther Creek Principal Rodney Nelson said they don't plan on using the modulars until the start of the spring semester in January. He said it would be too disruptive to make the move so late in this semester.
The fact that Panther Creek is crowded while other high schools such as Cary High have a lot of empty seats has raised eyebrows. Chuck Dulaney, assistant superintendent for growth and planning, said several high schools have hundreds of empty seats because of the completion of renovation projects or the installation of modulars this school year.
Dulaney said they hadn't taken advantage of those empty seats yet because he wanted to include those moves in the new multi-year plan that will come out later this year. The last plan had no middle school or high school reassignments.
Dulaney said it's likely that some high school moves will be recommended for the 2009-10 school year, including moving some Panther Creek students to Cary High. Those would be the same areas that were moved from Cary High to populate Panther Creek when it opened in 2006.
Dulaney said you can also expect the multi-year plan to include recommendations for high school moves in the 2010-11 school year. That's when Heritage High School will officially open after having served a year as a temporary home for Wake Forest-Rolesville High.
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Comments
It doesn't take a Rocket Scientist
Tue, 09/09/2008 - 18:50 — Chris_HMy son was one of the kids moved from Green Hope 9th Grade Center to Panther Creek when it first opened. I have no problem with Panther Creek it is a great High School, but I drive by Green Hope High every day to get to Panther Creek. When one drives around that area and you see the swell of building both single family homes, apartments and town homes within a 10 mile radius I knew this would happen. My oldest son graduates this year, but my youngest son starts next year as a freshman, just when you get a little established in a school around here you get kicked out. What a shame.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Tue, 09/09/2008 - 18:41 — bigwinnieCOMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS:
SESSION 2
11. Why not put more temporary trailer classrooms on existing schools until new schools can be
built in the same area?
There are limits to how many trailers can be placed on a campus and how many students can be
served in a facility without compromising the instructional program. This could be a good shortterm
solution but not for more than a year or two.
Opt out percentage basically the same
Tue, 09/09/2008 - 08:08 — shearertwSomebody correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the opt out percentage basically the same this year as it was last year? If so, how can Chucky and the BoE claim that it wasn't poor planning but people opting out of MYR that caused the problems? They didn't even have to "project" anything. Just going with last years numbers would have told them how to plan.
Oh, I think I get it. They DID plan for it. What they really want is for all the people who opt out to have their kids sent to overcrowded schools. Perhaps then, they'll chose not to opt out next time. Remember, its all for the children.
wonder how many "mobile
Tue, 09/09/2008 - 06:43 — bigwinniewonder how many "mobile classrooms" really follow this?
(certainly not the pod for LRHS, the unit on the mountain that looks quite unstable in the FRONT of the campus between the MS and HS)
http://www.wcpss.net/facilities/information/EdSpecs/elem/800Cap/u-elem_site.pdf
Anon Above ^^
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 21:17 — RiversideRealistOne of the best posts YET in recent memory. Enlightening, and yet, not surprising that they totally ignored ABC and the research presented.
These people [BOE et al] couldn't predict the sun rising in the east.
If only someone could have foreseen.........
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 20:48 — Anonymous (not verified)If only someone could have foreseen that Panther Creek would be overcrowded the first year it had all four grades in it.
If only someone could have foreseen the need for a 9th Grade Center at Apex High School to help handle the overcrowding in Western Wake high schools.
If only someone had spoken up with a constructive suggestions for change.
Oh, wait. Someone did.
http://www.assignmentbychoice.org/AFTFPresentation.pdf
Which Areas?
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 17:41 — Wake County Parent (not verified)recommended for the 2009-10 school year, including moving some Panther
Creek students to Cary High. Those would be the same areas that were
moved from Cary High to populate Panther Creek when it opened in 2006.)
Which areas
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 21:27 — KeungHui (author)The draft plan should be out by late October so you'll have an idea which Panther Creek nodes are being recommended.
As for Reedy Creek Elementary, Wake is attributing the crowding to families opting of year-round schools. Reedy Creek, like several of the opt-out choices, have a lot more students than projected.
Payback Time by WCPSS.....
Tue, 09/09/2008 - 01:15 — WuptdoAs an advocate for the Reedy Creek schools for years, we have seen trends come and go, and always, either via e-mail, privately or addressing the Board, have let these people know what is going down. Very dedicated parents, as in most schools in Western Wake. We asked that some of the nodes be moved to balance out F&R numbers and give the schools a a break -- especially with all the new ones that opened last year. We recommended that some of the high population nodes be moved out to the new year round schools -- they were not. One or two nodes did get exchanged and the F&R numbers at RCES were slightly reduced. However, we will wait for the 20 day numbers.
Oh, it is not because of the mortgage crisis that all these apartment are full in/around RCES and other places in Cary. It is because you have too many folks living in the apartments and the Town of Cary and FireMmarshall will not enforce the zoning/fire safety laws, because the people living there are really "just visiting". Apartments designed to hold a family of 4/5 should not have 10(plus) living in them. Follow the buses someday and you will see what I mean.
You try to do the right thing for your community and school, and yet WCPSS & BoE(eR) go out of their way to punish you for speaking out and showing them the "errors" in their ways. Until today, I did not know that RCES was an "over-flow" school for opt-outs.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. - Old Klingon Proverb
Which Areas
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 21:51 — Wake County Parent (not verified)Ah, now I see. I didn't realize Reedy Creek was one of the opt-out choices. All I can tell you is that our carpool lines are M-U-R-D-E-R. I sure hope this growth doesn't negatively impact our performance. Reedy Creek ES is one of the few elem schools that continues to turn in great numbers, including the AYP/ABC standards.
And Chuck Dulaney SAID:
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 16:00 — al_in_garner"the fact that they have empty seats is not due to poor planning."
Okay, so let's all get this
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 14:34 — Anonymous (not verified)Okay, so let's all get this straight.. modulars are put in never to be moved? Once they go in there are there for good? I thought they were in place during rennovations and then moved, but it sounds like they are put in as an "addition".
What's with the modular pieces taking up space in the parking lot at Holly Springs High School? What's the problem there? Or are they just not that overcrowded yet?
been looking for this all day
Tue, 09/09/2008 - 18:13 — bigwinniesorry, lost in the jungle of collected data;
WCPSS CIP
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why do we not reduce reliance on mobile classrooms as called for in planning assumptions
adopted in September 2005?
The goals established by the Board of Education and Board of Commissioners in September
called for reducing the percentage of students housed in mobile or modular classrooms to 8% by
2012. In 2005, about 27% of elementary students, 15% of middle school students, and 14% of
high school students were in classes in mobile or modular classrooms. 109 additional mobile or
modular classrooms are being installed for the 2006-07 school year. Significant progress toward
the goal would require at least three additional new elementary schools, two additional middle
schools, and an additional new high school and add more than $250 million to the funding
request. The current proposal reduces the percentage in elementary school to approximately
19%, increases the percentage in middle school to 18% and slightly increases the percentage in
high schools to about 15%.
What about Apex High School?
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 14:15 — Anonymous (not verified)What about Apex High School? They are installing more modulars on top of the tennis courts. AHS is bursting at the seams! Why isn't that getting any media attention?
Oh no, not again........
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 14:10 — Uncle Ruckus (not verified)Great -- most of my neighborhood danced for joy, when we got to move to Panther Creek HS vice Cary HS. I hope Chuck D will consider all those over-crowded apartments that the Town of Cary is allowing, because those over-crowded "downtown" Cary elementary schools will soon over-flow into Cary High School. Also, if Cary High School remains under-capacity, but high F&R numbers, maybe a good time to make Cary High School into a magnet (vocational) high school, in spite of Eleanor Goettee.
On an old note: For many years I protested about the size, especially the high schools being built in Wake County -- both Green Hope, Holly Spring, Middle Creek and Panther Creek both come to mind. All these school should of been built with much larger capacity -- the knew the growth was there and the land certainly wasn't. Another good case of poor planning on both the WCPSS and the BoE(eR).
How pathetic is the planning when school are built with the idea of adding trailers. Criminals charges should be forthcoming to all those involved in the decision process, including former school board members.