Facts

Download the Node 383.3 and 384.4 Fact Sheet as a PDF Document

Retain Nodes at Apex High

 

Fix Our Feeder Pattern

Avoid Double Reassignment

• Retention now prevents double reassignment and future ‘pinball’ movements between Athens and Apex when new H7 high school opens in western Wake County.
• Treat our nodes consistently as was done for 381.1 & 381.7 (returned to Apex due to H7).
• Do not repeat reassignment snafu involving Cary High, Green Hope, and Panther Creek.

Athens is Healthy

• Enrollment grew 16% since 2004 and was over-capacity 3 years in a row (1.09%)
• Under capacity of 167 was created in 2008 by addition of 8 mobile units.
• Median LI = 33.5%, within acceptable limits according to Policy 6200 guidelines (2008 actual LI = 27%, Growth Mgmt. estimated LI = 40%).
• LI ratio = 25.3 for a 3 year average (no significant increases in LI).
• LI is similar to Broughton and Enloe, inside the beltline neighboring schools.

Apex Has Capacity

• Apex High currently has more open seats than Athens (290 vs. 167).
• Room for our 78 students to attend Apex AND all students newly reassigned into Apex.
• Room on campus for future mobile units to accommodate additional capacity needs.
• Only 78 students from nodes 383.3 and 384.4 attend Apex, not 104 as quoted by Growth Mgmt (26 students attend magnet high schools).

Growth Management Projection Models Overstate Growth

• States 33% growth when actual enrollment declines 6% annually for 383.3/384.4.
• 50% decline in new student enrollment at WCPSS for past 3 years.
• Completed in July 2008, prior to economic meltdown.
• ITRE/municipal data is 3 years old, prior to developer’s bankruptcies.
• Cost/benefit analysis not included.

Reality Check: Diminishing Enrollment

• Enrollment declines 73% from 12th grade to kindergarten, averaging 6% annual decline.
• Students lost at graduation are not being replenished in the lower grades.
• High school enrollment decreases by 8 students in 3 years.
• 50% decrease in middle school enrollment by 2011 (from 67 to 37 students)
• After grandfathering, 23 students will be reassigned to Athens, not 104.
• Impacts a mature retirement community with a 2.8% turnover rate.
  Neighborhoods of Churchill Downs, MacGregor Downs, Royal Ridge and Woods of Kildaire.
• Mature, declining population nodes should not be targeted for reassignment.

Fix Broken Feeder Patterns – Consistently!

• Dillard Middle assignment was created 10 years ago to open Dillard.
• Our nodes are the only ones West of US1 and I-40 attending Dillard.
• Fix our nodes as was done for:
  • nodes 381.1 & 381.7 returned to Apex High due to H7 and,
  • nodes 412.1, 412.4, 412.7 reassigned from Dillard Middle to Reedy Creek & East Cary Middle since they attend Briarcliff & Adams (same as our nodes).
• Current Feeder Pattern:
  • Briarcliff Elementary
  • Dillard Middle
  • Apex High
• Fix feeder pattern to flow cleanly into Apex High
  • Change middle school assignment from Dillard to Lufkin, Apex or Salem.
  • Change elementary assignment from Briarcliff to Laurel Park, Apex, or Baucom.

Good Time to Increase Taxpayer Costs?

• Reassignment triples distance and transportation costs.
• Increases cost to taxpayers about $1,500 annually:
  • On par with a teacher’s bonus,
  • $65 per student (23 students).
• Route to Athens is 3 times the route to Apex (6.6 miles vs. 2.2 miles).
• Is it prudent to increase spending by $65 per student on transportation with these budget cuts?
  • $11.2 million WCPSS budget cuts,
  • $6.5 million school level budget cuts
  • $7.25 per student supplies budget cuts

Student Drivers at Risk

• Route to Athens is longer and more dangerous; US1/64 corridor at 113,000 cars per day.
• Students face 51 times greater accident rates on Athens route.
• Travel with rush hour traffic both ways.
• Leading killer of teens is car crashes.
• 64% of all teen crashes in Wake County occur during school travel hours.

This page has the following sub pages.

• Safety
• Diminishing Enrollment