AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n
Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n Glenwood Elementary families learned Thursday where their students might go when the Chapel Hill-Carrboro magnet school closes in August 2027, but not whether they will move to the same new school together or be split up.<\/p>\n Read more Latest updates on NC\u2019s 300+ cyclosporiasis cases and a possible Taco Bell link<\/a><\/p>\n The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education is expected to make a decision Aug. 20 that could affect even more students when district staff starts redrawing elementary school attendance lines this fall.<\/p>\n A few dozen Glenwood parents and students advocated Thursday for keeping their STEAM Squared (STEAM2) magnet curriculum and its supportive community intact.<\/p>\n The STEAM2 curriculum incorporates science, technology, engineering, art and math. Students can also choose to spend half of their day learning in Mandarin or follow the world language track, which gives them 90 minutes of weekly Mandarin instruction.<\/p>\n The programs together serve about 400 Glenwood students, who will soon move to help the district save money and \u201cright-size\u201d its staffing numbers after years of declining enrollment, especially in the elementary schools.<\/p>\n CHCCS staff worked with N.C. State University\u2019s SchoolCAMP team, which helps districts conduct strategic planning and analysis, and its Institution for Transportation Research and Education to come up with two options for relocating students and programs:<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s report identified Mary Scroggs and Rashkis elementary schools as possible host schools for Glenwood\u2019s students and programs.<\/p>\n District staff and NCSU experts wanted a plan that would cause the least disruption to students and staff, but that also would help the district stay flexible as it redistricts the 10 remaining elementary schools next year.<\/p>\n The focus landed on schools where enrollment is 80% or less of capacity, or roughly 100 vacant classroom seats, and which of those schools could continue to lose students, SchoolCamp program director Matthew Palmer said. Scroggs, Rashkis and Northside elementary schools all use 62% or less of their capacity, he reported.<\/p>\n But Scroggs and Rashkis lie on the edge of the CHCCS district, making it less likely that students from surrounding neighborhoods could boost their enrollment, he added. Northside is within walking distance of both downtown Chapel Hill and Carrboro.<\/p>\n Glenwood parents and students reminded the board Thursday that the STEAM2 program is an asset to the district, attracting families from around the world. Splitting up the Mandarin and world languages tracks could hurt both programs and the students who are already enrolled, said parent Betsy Lee, who is Chinese.<\/p>\n She watched Glenwood\u2019s community rally around Mandarin and Chinese culture after the school moved to the STEAM2 curriculum in 2020, Lee said. That had long-term benefits for her daughter, who has since graduated, and her friends, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a beautiful thing that I\u2019ve seen being a parent there is, culturally, I am Chinese, but it is so cool to see her with her friends who have no heritage, no connection, that they\u2019re getting this cultural exposure,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n Separate programs could also make other families think twice about moving to the district, eroding its competitive advantage and leading to more enrollment losses, parent Allison Willis said.<\/p>\n Read more How Bill Belichick and his players are building a new culture for UNC football<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cGlenwood has a track record of success both academically and operationally, and to think that we might divide what has become a singular program into two seems short-sighted and also reduces future creative options for expansion,\u201d Willis said.<\/p>\n Other parents asked the board to delay its decision.<\/p>\n That\u2019s just not possible if the district wants to give parents, students and staff time to understand the process and prepare for the move, CHCCS Superintendent Rodney Trice said. It would also add more time to the staff\u2019s redistricting work, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we were into September, I think it would be in serious jeopardy whether we could pull it off,\u201d Trice said.<\/p>\n The school board\u2019s June 4 decision followed multiple conversations about budget challenges and a 1,500-plus drop in enrollment<\/u><\/a> since 2020.<\/p>\n The board initially considered closing two of three schools \u2014 Glenwood, and Ephesus and Seawell elementary, which are more traditional neighborhood schools.<\/p>\n It chose Glenwood, which was built in 1952 and is Chapel Hill\u2019s oldest school. A staff study found closing the campus could save about $1.7 million a year in operating costs, plus roughly $23.3 million in maintenance and repair costs over the next decade.<\/p>\n The district also has cut school and central office staff, eliminating over 100 positions since 2024 and with 25 more classroom cuts pending next year to cover a $2 million gap in state funding.<\/p>\n Enrollment could hit an estimated 10,741 students next year and continue to fall through 2035, according to a Carolina Demography report.<\/p>\n School districts across the state are facing<\/u><\/a> similar constraints, the report said, citing, in part, declining birth rates, higher housing costs, and changes in the state\u2019s immigrant-born population for falling enrollment.<\/p>\n Each empty seat costs Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools over $17,000 in local, state and federal money at a time when more of the burden to pay for education is falling to county governments.<\/p>\n The board could decide Aug. 20 where to move Glenwood students and programs.<\/p>\n District staff will use that information to redraw attendance zones for 10 remaining elementary schools, accounting primarily for how students are affected, especially those in at-risk groups, as well as school demographics, transportation needs, and programs.<\/p>\n The board could approve the redistricting plan over the winter and share the final plan with the public next spring. Students will start the 2027-28 school year in their new schools.<\/p>\n Read more NC\u2019s diarrhea parasite cases: DHHS offers an update regarding possible source<\/a><\/p>\n