School Redistricting

Hello Lenoir County from education reporter Chris Lavender or as some people now call me Lil’ Lavender

Welcome back for another discussion on Lenoir County Schools redistricting study. The school board is expected to vote if the study should continue on how to redraw students’ attendance lines. I’ts about 6:40 p.m. now. The meeting will begin at about 7 p.m. Several members from the public are expected to speak their minds tonight on how they feel about the issue. Check back soon when the meeting is underway.

Redistricting committee chairman Mike Moseley had requested that Superintendent Terry Cline bring the issue back before the school board for their consideration. This will be the first time that school board members have formally discussed the study since the process began last October.

During a January meeting, the school board declined to take public comments from several people because the redistricting committee had not yet presented a recommendation to the board. Nearly 50 people have streamed into the central office so far.

7 p.m. - Redistricting committee chairman Mike Moseley just arrived and he has joined me on the back row. The meeting is about to start. The board members will first discuss its financial report, school construction project updates and general policy updates before taking on the redistricting study issue. As soon as they begin to discuss the study I will begin to let you know what’s going on.

7:03 p.m. - school board is about to take public comments on the redistricting study. Each person will have about three minutes to address the school board

7:09 p.m. -Frank White is speaking to the school board now. No compelliing reason to continue study at this time, he said. White has two children that attend North Lenoir High School. Lenoir County Schools seen decrease in population. School board should begin dialogue when population begins to grow. The timeline for redistricting is too agressive, he said.

7:13 p.m.- Tony Turner is now speaking. He is a member of the redistricting committee. Turner said there is no valid reason to continue the study. There are no schools over capacity, he said. Lenoir County not seen population increase like other counties including Wake, Pitt and New Hanover Counties. County wide redistricting will not be beneficial to the financial bottom line.

7:15 p.m. - Ruth Hollowell is now speaking. She thanked the board for moving the public comment to the beginning of the meeting. She made no comments on the study.

7:16 p.m. Rudy Mintz is now speaking. Lived in Kinston since 1973. Both children went to Kinston High. Said seems like good time for redistricting but don’t need to change all the lines. Shouldn’t be afraid of change, he said. Want to be seen as socially progressive and is now thanking Cline for his efforts. “He is a patient and kind man,” Mintz said. “He is going to do the right thing for the children.”

7:20 p.m. - Suzanne Nix is now speaking. She is also a member of the redistricting committee. “Redistricting is a must for Lenoir County,” she said. “Current board must support the continuation of the study.”

7:21 p.m. - David Hodges is now speaking. I am not from Lenoir County the main reason moved where we lived based on schools child will be attending in area. The schools are not equal. Dont have permission to bus child from low to high performing school. “All schools are not created in Lenoir County,” he said. “It’s a shame that physical plant arent up to par at some of the schools.” Redistrict or not, children need to go to safe schools.

Public comments have concluded. The school board will decide soon about the study. Discussion continues about financial report, school construction updates and policy updates.

School board member Garland Nobles Jr. is not present for tonight’s meeting. Check back soon for the board’s discussion and vote on the study.

90 people have turned out tonight for the meeting. Officials had planned to hold the meeting at Northwest Elementary School if necessary. Officials decided to hold the meeting as scheduled at the central office.

It’s now 7:50 p.m. - the school board is discussing how and when the adminstration is required to turn over requested public information to a board member. During the Feb. board meeting, a school board member - Billy Davis - requested Cline to turn over public information within five days. Several school board members including Keith Seaforth said the request was not realistic because of the amount of documents requested to be produced in just five days. 

“Been on this board for six years never been an issue,” school board chairman said. “We will rely on superintendent on what is reasonable.”

“Obvious there is some disharmony on this board,” Seaforth said. “So if they want information give superintendent time to get information.”

School board member Joey Bryan doesn’t feel the same as Seaforth and the chairman. He said board shouldnt be rigid in its policies to provide information to members.

8 p.m. - School board will soon begin discussion on redistricting study.

Cline is introducing consultant Jeff Tsai to the school board. Tsai will update the board members on the redistricting study’s work. Several slides are being presented.

“This project is not easy,” Tsai said.

8:10 p.m. - School district divided into 134 planning zones, Tsai said. the zones are based on where students live. Using mathematical scenarios to develop attendance lines based on student’s travel distance to schools and satisfy capacity constraints of schools.

8:15 p.m. - Tsai is now discussing committee’s desires on capacities for elementary schools to average 86 percent, middle school capacities between 74 to 94 percent and high schools from 71 to 81 percent utlization rates.

Committee members examined several maps to see where to draw lines and offered revisions for Tsai to work on.

Moseley is now addressing the school board. “It’s important process for the students of this county,” he said. “I stand ready to continue this effort.”

Met with citizens on both sides of issue it has strengthened the process, Moseley said. “There has been some confusion across the county on (the redistricting study,” he said. “We have not formed any recommendations.”

“it’s been a controversial issue,” Moseley said. “I don’t want to see this issue tear this county apart. It’s important to reach win-win solutions.”

8:30 p.m. - Moseley continues to speak. He said before committing to more work he wants to make sure school board is behind the effort.

Rita Hodges is now speaking, she is a school board member. I wonder if we need to look at closing another elementary school that would save money. The space is available at other schools to absorb student populations.

She said former school board members have approached her about 1992 merger. “It was a very troubled time,” Hodges said. “Order issued by judge that boundaries not change (then)”

School board member Keith Seaforth is now talking about merger. Said he doesn’t remember if stipulations were made that lines not be redrawn during merger.

8:40 p.m. - Seaforth said he has read most about how lines could be redrawn for the high schools. School board member Bruce Hill is asking Tsai about utlization figures and is asking about the merger.

 ”Since I have been on this board there has been discussion on attendance lines, ” Hill said. “It needs to be on the table for discussion.”

School board attorney said redistricting issue came up at least nearly five years ago when a school was closed.

The school board chairman is now speaking. There is no legal prohibition from county looking at lines, the chairman said.

“I voted against this study being done, ” the chairman said. “We are opening three new schools. Redistricting is an unpleasant subject. There are times we have to look at it.”

The chairman said the problem I see is we don’t have capacity issues at middle and high schools. Sitting in on the meetings see where it is going. All the committee is doing is shifting capacity numbers on high school level doesn’t make sense to me.

Growth may dictate we do this again with Spirit and Sanderson. The chairman said there is no reason to do study any futher.

“I would like to see issue tabled,” chairman said.

8:50 p.m. - Bruce Hill asking why students are traveling far distances to schools while bypassing schools closer to their home. The chairman said the study will not change the proximity issue.

Hill said he stayed away from committee meetings not to form an opinion and wants to stay unbias about the plan.

“I did not create this monster,” Moseley said. “If I am going to take shots, I want to at least know the board of education is behind the study.”

Moseley said he thinks the study needs to be continued.

“To stop the process at this point I think we are losing out on an opportunity,” Moseley said.

Seaforth said since Nobles not at meeting I don’t think this is the time to vote on this. Seaforth said he wasn’t aware issue was on the agenda for tonight and said he just found out about it on Friday night.

9 p.m. - Cline said if the school board doesn’t vote will throw timetable off. Will not be ready for next year.

“We just need direction from the board,” Cline said. “We need that direction tonight.”

School board member Joey Bryan said elementary schools need to have something done. He said there are flaws in the current lines for elementary schools.

Redrawing lines for elementary schools would save $330,000 on transporation costs annually, Bryan said.

Hodges made a motion for the committee just to look at redrawing the elementary school lines, seconded by Billy Davis.

Hill said the committee should look at the whole picture, including middle and high schools.

9:10 p.m. - motion carried unaimously by the school board  to continue to look at redistricting elementary schools only.

Seaforth made a motion for the committee to look at continuing to look at middle and high schools. the motion was not passed with a 3-3 tie.

Seaforth, Hill and Bryan voted to continue evaluating the middle and high schools while Hodges, Davis and Fillippeli voted against looking at the middle and high schools.

“The charge now is to bring us something on the elementary schools, ” school board chairman Fillipeli said.

The school board attorney said the board members could revisit the issue about middle and high schools at a future meeting.

The discussion on the redistricting study is now over. To see more about this story read the Tuesday edition of The Free Press.

Bye for now, good night. Chris Lavender

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