WakeEd

The WakeEd blog is devoted to discussing and answering questions about the major issues facing the Wake County school system. How much will the new Democratic majority on the school board do to undo the changes made by Republicans since 2009? Will the new student assignment plan be a hybrid of the last two models or primarily be a return to the use of busing for diversity? Who will replace Tony Tata as the new superintendent of the state's largest district? How will voters react to a likely request in 2013 to borrow potentially more than $1 billion to build and renovate schools?

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.

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Richland Creek Elementary opens as Wake County's smallest school

Submitted by KeungHui on 08/28/2012 - 06:00
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Richland Creek Elementary School opened Monday as the smallest Wake County elementary school in recent memory.

As noted in today's article, Richland Creek opened with 97 students on a modular campus with a a capacity of 368 students. The enrollment would have been lower if not for the decision to also offer fourth- and fifth-grades for families who wanted to keep their children together.

The school only had 34 students on the books in June. But the newcomers who moved in over the summer to the Wake Forest area were steered to the school when they submitted their choice requests.

The influx of new students allowed the the school to drop the planned use of multi-age classes.

Class sizes are in the teens with as few as 13 students in a class.

Richland Creek's enrollment will rise this school year and next school year. A question is how much the return to an address-based plan will lead to reassignment to boost the enrollment in 2013.

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Johnny come lately?

Wed, 09/05/2012 - 18:41 — Jillmami

Wow. Welcome to NC!

So glad the only negative comments/people we've encountered are on a blog! My family did move here in June to better the lives of our children. Due to the greedy banks it took us several years to do so. We arrived in June and we CHOSE Richland Creek for our children. The idea of growing with a new school is exciting! Being able to teach our children how to "go with the flow" as the school experiences changes, makes mistakes, and learns are valuable life lessons we welcome. If you would like to join us, we welcome you with open arms. ALL of you. Even the cranky ones.

Is this supposed to be a bad school? Was admin and staff sent here because they just couldn't get their acts together in the other Wake Co schools? Not that I've heard.

I personally think not having a neighborhood school where you go with kids on your street is weird. But we're going with it and making it work.

seats

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 08:48 — realistic

We all knew the late comers would have to take the only available seats left. "Steered" is the writer's choice of words. I'm not saying its an accurate description or not, but the final element of the choice plan is late comers do not have one. They sit where they can. If the system says we need more 5th graders over here, well, its where the seats are.

What the heck do you expect?

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 12:04 — FSandYOU

Do you want YOUR kids to be moved so the Johnny Come Lately's can have their seat?

If so, step forward and sacrifice your kid's chair.

If not DEAL WITH IT, because that's exactly how it should be.

Late Comers should get no special treatment.  First come, first serve.

Read more here: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/richland-creek-elementary-opens-as-wake-countys-smallest-school#new#storylink=cpy

I'm certain

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 15:41 — exYank_WCprin

that the school system and the chamber would love to have you on their "how to attract responsible well educated people" to the Triangle area. That would be those 5000 -15,000 students and parents who for the most part must move and find a home during the summer months. God forbid that can't get a contract on a home quickly because your respond to them is "tough s##t I got mine FU." What the world needs is more people like you. You're from what part of New York?

So...

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 16:33 — Bob_Sconce

~3,000 this year.

It is certainly true that the current assignment plan benefits current residents over newcomers.  But, there's no way to make it a win-win situation.  Either newcomers can displace students at their existing schools or they can't.  If they can displace them, then you have periodic reassignments.  If they can't, then newcomers get what's left.

But, we need to avoid treating Richland Creek like the dregs -- it has all the makinging of being a top-notch, albeit small, school.  And, there can be advantages to coming to a new school with a bunch of people who also just moved to the area.  (For one, a whole lot less of the "If your granddaddy didn't go to school with my granddaddy, then you're new" attitude.)

Well..........

Wed, 08/29/2012 - 14:17 — exYank_WCprin

I believe the actual number is 5161 per Tata.

Yup..

Fri, 08/31/2012 - 11:33 — Bob_Sconce

Stand corrected.

Are you going to volunteer to move your kids

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 16:02 — FSandYOU

to another school so the newbies can have their seats? I thought not.

I'll be glad to help out with the welcoming committee.  At least they'll all be well informed before they decide to move here, take our jobs, fill up our schools and then spend 13 years, or more, complaining about it. 

;-)

I agree that 'steered' was

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 10:35 — jenman

I agree that 'steered' was Hui's choice of words (as far as we know). It would not surprise me if staff recommended Richland Creek to newcomers but ultimately the decision would up to the parent.

Having talked with several

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 11:37 — KeungHui (author)

Having talked with several parents, they were told you can either go to Richland Creek or go to a year-round school that's already been in session. They were told that the other traditional-calendar options were full.

Sounds like...

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 13:03 — bpuli9999

steering to me! However hard you wingnuts try to sugar-coat it, it is forced assignment. And waste of a lot money - by opening a school that is totally under-enrolled.

Well...

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 14:46 — Bob_Sconce

The modular campus is pre-existing -- it was going to be sitting there anyway.  It's probably somewhat more expensive per-child, but I doubt it's enormously so.   And, who knows -- by the end of the year, the school could be full.

I agree about the under-enrollment

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 14:31 — FSandYOU

Do you feel the same about all the under-enrolled year round schools too?

Yes.

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 19:15 — bpuli9999

And due to the choice plan, there is no way to remedy that either. So the best thing to do is to close the under-enrolled schools. Isn't that the best market-efficient way to deal with them?

Once again we agree

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 20:01 — FSandYOU

about closing the under-enrolled YR's.  Or at least, as the Kinghtdale teachers are asking, convert back to traditional.  Now.

Man we might be onto something here!

Traditional options full

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 12:06 — FSandYOU

Proof once again YR doesn't work in this county.

Steered?

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 07:25 — bpuli9999

I thought the choice plan was supposed to stop the "steering"?

I guess all the right wing nuts only scream bloody murder and "forced busing" only when a non-republican is the school super.

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About the blogger

T. Keung Hui covers Wake schools.
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