Board eyes criteria for reassignment

The often complex world of K-12 student reassignment got a bit clearer Monday.

That’s when members of the Orange County Board of Education picked the most important criteria to consider in student reassignment — though they stressed that their picks are subject to change.

Proximity, socio-economic balance, ethnic balance and minimizing student reassignment were among the top criteria chosen.

But board chairwoman Libbie Hough said the group will not move forward with specific criteria until hearing from the public.

Superintendent Shirley Carraway said that the initial stimulus for reassignment discussions was to populate the county’s third middle school — now under construction on its future site in Efland — but that the process also might serve to better redistribute underfilled or over-capacity schools.

The school board will hold a public hearing March 14 to garner feedback on the list.

The district also plans to circulate the information to the public.

“What we plan to do is get the information out very quickly,” Carraway said.

She suggested posting the information on the schools’ Web site or using Connect-ED, the district’s new centralized phone service, to advertise the information.

While the board made no final decision Monday about the criteria, not all members were pleased with the initial outcome.

Board member Al Hartkopf said he thought more discussion was needed about factoring Hillsborough Elementary School, the district’s yearround school, into reassignment. “This board has not had a serious discussion about yearround middle schools, in my recollection,” he said.

But Hough said the criteria are only meant be part of a rough draft.

“No final decision has been made,” she said, adding that the public might suggest other criteria at its hearing.

With less discussion, the board also approved its timeline for student reassignment Monday, with one alteration. Now a public hearing will be added in November after the board reviews potential reassignment plans in October.

In the original schedule, the board would not have had such a hearing until January, but board member Dennis Whitling said a hearing held earlier could be beneficial because of questions that might arise from the October review.

According to the timeline, the board is set to approve final plans in February 2006.

Board members also discussed a new location for an alternative school, now housed on Tryon Street. A site near A.L. Stanback Middle School was suggested.

The board will hold a public hearing on the issue March 7.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.