Parents share opposition to proposed redistricting of Brunswick Co. schools

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Parents fear it’s a done deal to move roughly 150 students from Belville Elementary to Town Creek Elementary School.

The school board is looking at redrawing district lines to deal with overcrowding at Belville. The idea to redraw lines that would impact Mallory Creek Plantation came up at an operations committee meeting last week. Monday, parents had the chance to speak their minds to school officials.

Proposed redistricting of Belville and Town Creek Elementary schools (Andrew James/WWAY)

“I think everybody would like to know what the options are, because there’s only one option.”

The school district says the changes would take place in the immediate school year. It redraws the lines to send students who live in Mallory Creek and areas south of it to the Winnabow school. The neighborhood currently sits less than a mile along highway 133 from Belville.

“I won’t say it’s the sole option,” says school superintendent Dr. Jerry Oates. “We’ve explored many options, and this is what seems to be the best one for the students of Brunswick County.”

Parents are not seeing it as that. Many want the school board to look at other options that include redrawing lines for Magnolia Greens families or those in Waterford to become a part of the Town Creek district.

Redistricted lines for the new Town Creek Middle School coming in 2020. (Andrew James/WWAY)

The school board, at the same time, is looking at who will be moved in 2020 once the new Town Creek Middle School is developed. That redistricting would include Magnolia Greens, Waterford, as well as pockets of Belville and Leland that hold Mallory Creek and Brunswick Forest families. The middle school maps show families as far south as below Funston Road, as far north as Sandy Creek and as far east as Birch Creek moving into the new district.

The school district says 5th graders at Belville will be grandfathered in. For several parents, they think the move is a temporary solution and that even more will be complicated for them and their kids once the school tries to level out school sizes.

“It will add 26 minutes, and that’s more than double my current commute,” said Kelly Johnson who has children at Belville Elementary. “I don’t feel like anybody has thought this through.”

For many parents, it impacts the reason they moved to the area. Some even saying they moved to specifically be in the Belville Elementary and Leland Middle school districts

“We purchased our home nine years ago based on the schools that were closest and that we were districted for never thinking that my children would end up at town creek elementary or town creek middle school,” said Laura Inskeep.

Parents united over another key issue with the proposed change, how kids will get to school. Several parents say they will have no choice but to drive their kids to Town Creek citing school staff who tell them the bus trips could be upwards to an hour for redistricted students.

We asked Dr. Oates about the issue of the impacts the redistricting could have to communities like Brunswick Forest, which sit as the only real straight route from Mallory Creek to highway 17.

“Our transportation department has worked feverishly trying to make sure that the shortest routes are available for students,” said Dr. Oates.

The school board will hold one more meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the county commission chambers in Bolivia. It is possible the school board votes on redrawing the lines next Tuesday. Board members did not answer questions from the public. Their responses are expected to be published by the end of the week.