Our 5-year-old daughter, Athena, is currently a kindergartener at year-round Pearsontown Elementary School. Her brother, John Michael, is in fifth grade at Pearsontown. Next year, he’s off to year-round Rogers-Herr Middle School.

Without that sibling connection, Athena won’t be eligible to attend first grade at Pearsontown in 2024-2025.

Under the rezoning plan developed by Durham Public Schools, we live in the region served by the new Murray-Massenburg Elementary School (conveniently right behind our house, but inconveniently on the traditional academic calendar) and two year-round options: Hope Valley and W.G. Pearson elementary schools.

Our first preference is Hope Valley, primarily because Athena’s uncle Costa Constantinou works there as a music teacher.

On Oct. 16, DPS invited families like ours to Jordan High School so we could hear more about the plan that’s been in the works for a couple of years. We also got to meet Jed Miller, the principal of Hope Valley Elementary. The event seemed geared toward the premise of making families feel more comfortable with the big changes ahead, but I couldn’t help coming away feeling a bit apprehensive.

Currently, Hope Valley Elementary has about 640 students. Athena gets a continuity preference for year-round calendar in the January DPS lottery, but there’s no guarantee she’ll get a seat at Hope Valley. Hopefully, there’d still be room for her at W.G. Pearson. However, it’s worth noting that W.G. Pearson appears to be the backup option for all five DPS regions under the Growing Together plan. So what if there’s no room at either year-round elementary? Well, our nightmare scenario would be John Michael on a year-round calendar while Athena’s on a traditional calendar and…no, I think we’d have to seek alternatives.

Maybe I’m overestimating the appeal of the year-round calendar for current families at Hope Valley? After all, it’s possible we might see an exodus of some students to Murray-Massenburg (although, not fourth and fifth graders during the first year, I hear). If that happens, perhaps my worries are for nothing.

We’ll see.

How The Growing Together Plan Affects Our Area

Meanwhile, here’s a rundown of the Growing Together plan and what it means for families in the Southpoint Access region:

The DPS Board of Education approved the regional school assignment boundaries in January, intending to serve academic equity and access while expanding Pre-K and Exceptional Children’s special program classrooms.

The changes kick in for the 2024-2025 academic year. If your student is in fourth or fifth grade, they won’t be reassigned – they’ll stay where they are. If your student is placed by approved transfer, they’re not going to be reassigned. Students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) assigned to an Exceptional Children’s special program with a separate setting are assigned by the EC Department and shouldn’t be affected by the new rules. However, if a student with an IEP is assigned to a general education classroom, they follow the reassignment rules.

Application schools (also known as magnet schools) under the new plan in our area include:

Southwest Region

·         Burton Elementary School (International Baccalaureate)

·         Morehead Montessori Elementary School (Montessori)

·         Southwest Elementary School (Dual Language Immersion)

·         Hope Valley Elementary School (Year-Round)

·         W.G. Pearson (Year-Round)

Southeast Region

·         Burton Elementary School (International Baccalaureate)

·         George Watts Elementary School (Montessori)

·         Lyons Farm Elementary School (Dual Language Immersion)

·         Pearsontown Elementary School (Year-Round)

·         W.G. Pearson (Year-Round)

How can you find out whether and how your family is affected by the Growing Together plan? Visit https://tinyurl.com/GT24-25. That’s where you can enter your address and learn your family’s assigned base school.

The next big date on the transition calendar is Nov. 18, when DPS hosts a Showcase of Schools at the Durham Convention Center.

Got news for Southpoint Access? Send email to southpointaccessnews@gmail.com.