Local Parents Team Up, Support Third High School

Citizens Advocating for a Third High School, tagged CATS, is an organization composed primarily of parents with children in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. A new school is needed, parents argue, because of overcrowding.

One of the group's goal is to get current and potential local leaders involved in discussion regarding the new school.

Last Wednesday, the group invited the six candidates for the Orange County Board of Commissioners to a meeting, which was held at Mary Scroggs Elementary School, to gauge their opinions regarding the new school.

Four candidates accepted CATS' invitation.

Incumbents Alice Gordon, Barry Jacobs and Stephen Halkiotis were present, as well as new candidate Keith Cook, who currently serves on the Orange County Board of Education.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education members Nick Didow, Gloria Faley and Lisa Stuckey also attended the meeting to share the school board's ideas and plans for future construction.

The parents called the meeting to question the candidates about what they plan to do to handle the increased crowding in Chapel Hill high schools.

The two high schools in Chapel Hill hold about 3,000 students total, which reaches close to the district's maximum capacity of 3,035. With increasing enrollment in the area, CATS estimates that by the 2006-07 school year, both high schools will need more than 700 additional seats.

The candidates present each responded to the group's challenge, citing several issues that need to be examined.

A major issue discussed by the candidates that is still in question is how Orange County can afford to build the new school. Orange County voters approved the issuing of a $75 bond in 2001 that set aside $47 million for the renovation of the schools in the county as well as the construction of new schools.

Though the candidates admitted this amount would most likely not be enough, candidates reassured the parents the county would find a way to allow the construction to occur.

Other decisions that still remain to be made are the size of the third school and its location. So far, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education members unanimously voted that the new high school should be located in the southern part of Chapel Hill, but the exact location is yet to be determined.

The next step for the high school construction project will be on June 27 when the county commissioners adopt a budget, which will reveal the exact amount of money available for the new building.

Etta Pisano, head of CATS, said the meeting was a success because the candidates publicly stated their support for high school construction.

"This was an important accomplishment we made tonight, to have them say they want the school to be built."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.