By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education last week considered proposed middle school redistricting that could move more than 200 students to different middle schools.

School officials are redistricting in order to prevent “orphan” segments – small segments of students who are assigned to different middle schools than the rest of their elementary school classmates – that were created during redistricting for the new elementary school that will open in the fall of 2008.

School board members said they wanted to advertise the proposed changes for a longer period of time before making a decision. School officials sent a letter to families of students that would be affected by the proposed changes about a week and a half before the board’s meeting.

Board member Liz Carter expressed concern that many families that could be affected by the changes did not know that the board was considering middle school redistricting.

“Basically, we’re still tweaking with redistricting, and we said to families [in May] that we were finished,” Carter said, noting that no parents came to the meeting to speak about the proposed changes.

Board member Mike Kelley agreed that more should be done to inform families of the proposed changes before the board makes a decision.

“The middle of summer is really a very bad time to have discussions such as this,” Kelley said.

Because the changes would not take effect until the 2008-09 school year, Steve Scroggs, assistant superintendent for support services, said the school board could postpone a decision regarding middle school redistricting.

“We have plenty of time,” he said.

Segments proposed to be moved include:

• Damascus Church Road, from Jones Ferry Road to Meacham Road, Ridgewood, Springhill Forest, Wolf’s Pond and Preston Springs – from McDougle to Culbreth;
• Royal Park Apartments – from Culbreth to McDougle;
• Foxcroft Apartments – from Culbreth to Phillips;
• Old Well Apartments – from McDougle to Culbreth;
• South Greensboro Street from Main Street to Rocky Brook Mobile Home Park, Old Pittsboro Road and Roberson Place, Maple Avenue – from Culbreth to McDougle; and
• Prince Street/Barnes Street area – from Culbreth to McDougle.