Brier Creek Elem. parents sound off on planned new school

RALEIGH, N.C. - Parents of Brier Creek Elementary School students, concerned about a planned new elementary school, filled the school's lunch room and served up plenty of questions for school system staff Wednesday night.

Brier Creek is overcrowded by more than 100 students, a Wake County Schools spokeswoman said. Plans call for opening up a larger elementary school in 2016, to be located about 2.5 miles away off Page Road near I-540. So far, there's no name, no ground broken and still no decision as to whether it will replace Brier Creek as the area's year-round option, or operate on a traditional calendar.

Parents largely told school staff they liked Brier Creek's year-round calendar and wanted to keep it that way, but staff has recommended the school board designate the new building as the year-round choice and move Brier Creek to a traditional calendar, since it has a smaller capacity.

"We got a lot of information, but there are no guarantees and that was basically what was said. There will be changes. You may be impacted. You may not be," Brier Creek parent Clarence Clayton said.

"I think it's pretty clear that the parents here really love being at this school. They want to keep it a year-round option," Brier Creek parent Barbara Martin said.

Some parents said they were confused, given that many decisions have yet to be made. Adding to that confusion, parents were told Brier Creek students will be grandfathered in, though not to any specific building, but rather to whichever school becomes the year-round option.

"There are no guarantees, so she's grandfathered into a school and we don't know what she's grandfathered into," Brier Creek parent Monique Harris said. "She could be grandfathered into something that I'm not even interested in."

School leaders said plans will become clearer as the process moves along.

"In the end, they will be able to see all along the process that we value their input, that we're asking for it so that we can make the best decision possible," Cathy Moore with Wake County Schools said.

Moore said staff will take Wednesday night's comments and relay them to the school board's facilities committee, which meets in February. There's still time for parents to express their opinion online.

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Brier Creek Elem. parents sound off on planned new school