School district unveils new redistricting maps for 2019-2020
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – By the 2019-2020 school year more than a thousand middle and high school students in New Hanover County will need to be moved because of overcrowding. School board members debated new redistricting maps this afternoon.
The latest high school maps would move 769 students. That’s less than 10 percent of the student population. The bulk of the changes will be at New Hanover and Hoggard. They will take students from the overcrowding Laney and Ashley High Schools.
“We don’t have enough seats to accommodate the middle school and the high school populations,” said assistant superintendent of operations Eddie Anderson.
High School redistricting maps (Andrew James/NHC Schools/WWAY News)
The rising seniors and those involved in open choice will not be impacted by this redistricting according to board members. The changes will leave every high school over capacity, however, not as severely over it as Laney and Ashley are currently.
Free and reduced lunch will alter most significantly at NHHS and Hoggard. NHHS would see a 5% increase in the program with Hoggard garnering a 7% increase.
At the same time, middle schools will be moving students around. Nearly 550 students will have to move under the middle school maps.
Holly Shelter Middle would gain more than 430 students. Students from northern downtown Wilmington that currently attend Williston would go there. That number of students is around 140, however that may change. The school board is still waiting to see how the new DC Virgo lab school impacts enrollment.
“So what we’re providing them with is a starting point and I tell this to all parents, look at the maps, if we miss something or you have thoughts, please share those thoughts with us,” said Superintendent Dr. Tim Markley. “And we will listen to those, look at the high school process last year, you saw that the maps that we ended up with were very different from where we started.”
Senior privilege and open choice will still play a role in high school redistricting. The maps are expected to be public on the school system’s website by the end of the week with open comment through early fall.
School board members want to vote on the redistricting in November.
