CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' interim superintendent is moving forward with recommending major changes to boundary and feeder patterns to accommodate two new schools in south Mecklenburg County.
Many households, and their students, will be rezoned for different schools. Feeder patterns of elementary into middle schools, and middle into high schools would also change.
Stephanie Schoenen, who has a child at Elizabeth Lane Elementary School, has closely followed the conversation on proposed changes that would impact where her current elementary schooler would go to middle school.
"The very first draft, our school as a whole was moved to Crestdale Middle School, away from South Charlotte Middle School," Schoenen said. “And then that's when our families spoke up saying that we would like to remain at South Charlotte Middle School.”
Their concerns were heard and when the district put out a second draft of boundary changes for south county schools, Elizabeth Lane was no longer impacted.
This week the district released a final version of its South County Relief plan. Elizabeth Lane Elementary School is back in this version and students at this school will now be split between two different middle schools: Crestdale Middle School and South Charlotte Middle School.
"The main issue for us going to Crestdale was they're sending us through the of the most high-traffic areas in the state, which will only be getting worse because of roadwork that will be done within the next couple years," Schoenen said.
Schoenen, along with hundreds of other parents, have flooded school board members' emails, shown up at community meetings, and expressed dissatisfaction with south county relief school plans.
Parents have expressed concerns about disruption to students, unfairly grouping low-income households into some schools and boosting high-income populations in others. In addition, there's been an outcry about the long distances some students will be from their homes compared to their currently zoned school or anticipated feeder patterns.
"I haven't even mentioned anything to my kids yet, just because I'm really afraid of how they're going to act. I have a rising fourth grader. So this will definitely impact him in two years," Schoenen said.
CMS has worked to address the concern of parents, but balancing what parents would like for their students with the realities and constraints the district is under has proved challenging.
The final version of the plan does include some concessions and positive changes for other families.
For example, rising seniors will automatically finish at their current school for their final year, and rising juniors will have the option to stay at their current school or be assigned to the relief high school. Although there is no sibling guarantee in place, students may apply for a transfer without transportation.
There are also special accommodations for students in special programs. This new version also better balanced the number of low-income students in schools.
Jason Dzurka, who lives in the Thornhill neighborhood, is also concerned about the latest version of boundary and feeder changes.
"The transparency was really lacking," he said, "as far as with our community. You know, we didn't have an opportunity to discuss with board members schools about any potential changes."
Under this proposal, Dzurka’s child - who goes to Endhaven Elementary School - would now go to a middle school miles away.
"The middle school feeder pattern for our neighborhood is now going to be a significant distance, about six-and-a-half, seven miles, when there are four other middle schools that are actually closer," he said.
His child's elementary school is about two miles down the street.
"We have children here that walk and bike to school," Dzurka said. "So why wouldn't you look, factor that into account, as we're looking at those transportation patterns for new schools?"
CMS has been faced with a bus driver shortage that has caused several major disruptions to school transportation, including eliminating some routes to its magnet programs and bus drivers not being available at some South Charlotte schools.
Most recently dozens of students were left stranded at Myers Park High School, a school impacted by this new proposal, after an afternoon bus route was canceled. Parents were made aware just 30 minutes before dismissal.
Dzurka's neighborhood has already gone through a change in schools. He called the experience disruptive and is concerned about having to change schools again so soon.
"To put our children through another change another two years later. There's definitely some concern there with that as well as the distance," Dzurka said.
Schoenen also said the kids in her area have already gone through a rezoning.
"I'm just wondering, how much back and forth should they be subjected to? I don't think it's fair, I definitely think it affects them mentally and academically," Schoenen said.
The new high school is expected to open in the 2024-25 school year and the new middle school is expected to open in the 2025-26 school year.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education will take action on the Superintendent's Recommendation at their next regular meeting. Options include adoption, rejection, and/or modification of the recommendation.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.