BE MAY 30TH. IT SEEMS. NO MATTER WHERE YOU TURN, THE SIGNS ARE THERE THAT COMMUNITIES IN NORTH CAROLINA ARE GROWING YEAR AFTER YEAR. HOWEVER, DESPITE THE BENEFITS ECONOMICALLY IT’S PUTTING SOME PRESSURE ON SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO KEEP UP WITH WAVES OF NEW STUDENTS. RIGHT. JOSHUA DAVIS IS IN ALAMANCE COUNTY TONIGHT WITH NEW DETAILS ON HOW THE DISTRICT THERE IS RESPONDING. RIGHT BEHIND ME IS WOODLAWN MIDDLE SCHOOL SITTING OVER 100% OF ITS STUDENT CAPACITY. ABS HAS. OFFICIALS JUST SHOWED ME DATA THAT SAYS MORE SCHOOLS COULD BE HEADING IN THESAME DIRECTION THAT SCHOOL WAS BUILT FOR 650 STUDENTS. WE HAVE ABOUT 750 STUDENTS IN THAT BUILDING RIGHT NOW ACROSS ALAMANCE COUNTY. 11 OUT OF THE DISTRICT’S 34 SCHOOL BUILDINGS ARE AT OR OVER CAPACITY, JUST A YEAR AFTER REZONING THE DISTRICT TO FUNNEL KIDS INTO THE NEWLY BUILT SOUTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL, THEY MAY HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN. WE SORT OF KNEW THIS WAS COMING. IT WAS SORT OF PREDICTED THAT WE WOULD HAVE THIS KIND OF GROWTH IN THE EASTERN ZONE. SO THAT’S WHY WE’RE ONCE AGAIN, UH, MOVING SOME OF THOSE ZONAL LINES SO THAT WE CAN ELIMINATE SOME OF THE OVERCROWDING AND THE NUMBERS SEEM TO POINT IN THAT DIRECTION, TOO. FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE E.M. HOLT ELEMENTARY IS JUST AT 57% CAPACITY, HAW RIVER IS 103%. WOODLAWN MIDDLE SCHOOL IS AT 115% CAPACITY COMPARED TO GRAHAM MIDDLE AT 69%. OBVIOUSLY, ANYTIME YOU SEE A JOB ANNOUNCEMENT IN THIS PART OF THE THE STATE THAT EQUALS STUDENTS FOR US. SO WE’RE SEEING A LOT OF GROWTH IN SCHOOLS OVER CAPACITY, PRESENTS SAFETY CONCERNS FROM CLASS SIZES TO AFTER SCHOOL TRAFFIC AND ABSCESS, SAYS DEALING WITH THAT MAY MEAN ADDING ANOTHER BUILDING TO EASE THE PRESSURE ON OUR SCHOOL BOARD IS ALREADY SORT OF MENTIONED THAT THERE WILL HAVE TO BE A CONVERSATION OF BRINGING ON ANOTHER BUILDING AT SOME POINT, POTENTIALLY A BOND REFERENDUM IN THE COUNTY TO BRING ON ANOTHER SCHOOL AT SOME POINT SOON. THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. ZONING HAS ALREADY BEEN FINALIZED AND APPROVED. HOWEVER, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT REZONING ON A YEAR BY YEAR BASIS. MOVING INTO THE FUTURE IN ALAMANCE COUNTY. I’M JOSH
North Carolina school systems experiencing over-capacity, here's what they're doing to alleviate the pressure
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Updated: 8:15 PM EDT Mar 14, 2024
It seems no matter where you turn the signs are there that communities in North Carolina are growing year after year. However, despite the benefits economically, it’s putting pressure on school systems to keep up with waves of new students.Woodlawn Middle School is currently sitting at over 100% of its student capacity. ABSS officials just shared data with WXII that indicates that more schools are heading in the same direction. Top Stories17-year-old charged after a shooting at Food Lion grocery store in High PointNorth Carolina Highway Patrol is searching for a driver involved in a hit-and-runWinston-Salem family believes bullet from nearby shooting caused house fireGet the latest news stories of interest by clicking here"That school was built for 650 students, we have about 750 students in that building right now," said Les Atkins, with ABSS. Across Alamance County, 11 out of the district's 34 school buildings are at or over capacity. Just a year after rezoning the district to funnel kids into the newly built Southeast High School, they may have to do it again. "We sort of knew this was coming, it was sort of predicted that we would have this kind of growth in the eastern zone," Atkins said. "So that's why we're, once again, moving some of those zonal lines so that we can eliminate some of the overcrowding, specifically at Woodlawn Middle School."Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscasts The numbers seem to point in that direction, too. For example, while EM Holt Elementary is just at 57% capacity, Haw River Elementary is 103%. On the middle school level, Woodlawn Middle is at 115% capacity, compared to Graham Middle at 69%. Schools over capacity present safety concerns from class sizes to after-school traffic and ABSS says dealing with that may mean adding another building to ease the pressure."Our school board has already sort of mentioned that there will have to be a conversation of bringing on another building at some point," he said. "Potentially a bond referendum in the county to bring on another school at some point soon."Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here This upcoming year’s zoning has already been finalized and approved. However, it's likely the board of education will have to look at rezoning on a year-by-year basis moving into the future. NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |TRENDING STORIES
ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — It seems no matter where you turn the signs are there that communities in North Carolina are growing year after year. However, despite the benefits economically, it’s putting pressure on school systems to keep up with waves of new students.
Woodlawn Middle School is currently sitting at over 100% of its student capacity. ABSS officials just shared data with WXII that indicates that more schools are heading in the same direction.
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"That school was built for 650 students, we have about 750 students in that building right now," said Les Atkins, with ABSS.
Across Alamance County, 11 out of the district's 34 school buildings are at or over capacity. Just a year after rezoning the district to funnel kids into the newly built Southeast High School, they may have to do it again.
"We sort of knew this was coming, it was sort of predicted that we would have this kind of growth in the eastern zone," Atkins said. "So that's why we're, once again, moving some of those zonal lines so that we can eliminate some of the overcrowding, specifically at Woodlawn Middle School."
Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscasts
The numbers seem to point in that direction, too. For example, while EM Holt Elementary is just at 57% capacity, Haw River Elementary is 103%. On the middle school level, Woodlawn Middle is at 115% capacity, compared to Graham Middle at 69%.
Schools over capacity present safety concerns from class sizes to after-school traffic and ABSS says dealing with that may mean adding another building to ease the pressure.
"Our school board has already sort of mentioned that there will have to be a conversation of bringing on another building at some point," he said. "Potentially a bond referendum in the county to bring on another school at some point soon."
Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here
This upcoming year’s zoning has already been finalized and approved. However, it's likely the board of education will have to look at rezoning on a year-by-year basis moving into the future.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |
TRENDING STORIES
