Lenoir County Schools moves closer to redistricting

The Lenoir County Board of Education will likely vote on a revised redistricting plan June 29.

Members of the board met this week during a work session to take another look at a redistricting committee's proposal to redraw student attendance lines at Northwest, Northeast and Southeast Elementary Schools. The redistricting committee had worked since October to develop a plan.

School board members Rita Hodges and Garland Nobles Jr. said the work session was productive. The revised proposal would keep students living in Colonial Pines and Tanglewood at Banks Elementary School. Carver Courts' youth would be sent to the new Northeast Elementary School.

The plan presented in early June had Colonial Pines and Tanglewood's students going to Northwest while Carver Courts was assigned to Southeast.

Changes were also made in Kinston's historic district along Queen Street. Students living north of the railroad track through downtown would go to Northwest and student's living south of the track would go to Northeast, if the plan is approved on June 29.

"I feel confident with the new plan," Hodges said. "We made some adjustments. It's a plan I can support."

Nobles said he plans to study the revised plan before June 29.

"I am going to look at the numbers," Nobles said. " I talked to Anthony Mitchell and he said the plan is not going to save us alot of money."

Nobles said it would benefit the school district more if the middle and high school lines were also redrawn. The school board advised the redistricting committee in April to develop a plan just for the elementary schools.

"Significant savings can be accomplised at the middle and high school levels," Nobles said.

The school board has no plan to look again at the middle and high school lines. During the past few weeks, several school board members said though they might look at the issue again next summer.

Chris Lavender can be reached at (252) 559 - 1078 or clavender@freedomenc.com.