Cabarrus County Schools told to move 4,000 students, shut down elementary school

Cabarrus County Schools parents on Tuesday drew closer to identifying where their children will go to school next year during an emotional and lengthy meeting.

The district is considering systemwide plans to realign school boundaries that would move between 3,000 and 5,800 students to new schools and suggest new school construction to compensate for a growing population.

Cabarrus County’s population growth corresponds with a public school enrollment boom — a 21% increase in the previous decade. The district’s current enrollment is about 35,000 students and is projected to exceed 44,000 by 2032, Superintendent John Kopicki said.

With 11 of 45 schools in the district at or above 100% student capacity, the CCS plan includes building four new new schools. Seven elementary schools, nine middle schools and four high schools are currently under 90% student capacity, with growth expected to push them over 100% capacity by next year, according to Cooperative Strategies.

Justin Rich, an executive director with Cooperative Strategies, the third-party California-based consulting firm used by the district, considered criteria that included reducing overcrowding, managing district feeder patterns, travel times and ensuring schools reflect area demographics.

He presented a final recommendation to the board that called for a long-term plan, or “Scenario C,” described on the CCS website, to balance future school construction and account for the growth that would affect 4,000 students.

“The way that I look at this, my recommendation is for the district to adopt it revised, given that it checks all of the boxes,” Rich said following his presentation. “It’s responsive to virtually everyone. It does a better job of managing your future growth.”

Parents fight for Beverly Hills Elementary remain open

If adopted by the school board, elementary schools affected would be A.T. Allen, Charles Boger, Cox Mill, Harrisburg, Hickory Ridge, Mount Pleasant, Patriots, Pitt School Road, Rocky River, W.M. Irvin, Weddington Hills, Winecoff, and Wolf Meadow.

All middle schools would see changes except Concord and Hickory Ridge. All high schools, except Hickory Ridge and Concord, would be subject to rezoning.

Despite overtures that there wouldn’t be complete upheaval all three plans presented before the CCS board suggested closing Beverly Hills Elementary, a school with 341 students that has been open since the 1950s.

The Cooperative Strategies analysis previously suggested that Beverly Hills — ranked most expensive among all schools in the district for estimated costs to repair and rehab at $22.3 million — be combined with Coltrane-Webb STEM Elementary in a new building because the schools have less space than newer elementary schools.

That possible reality was difficult to confront by parents and some board members during the four-hour meeting that dragged well into the night.

“I don’t see how shutting down a school empowers anyone,” said Joe Hartsell, a parent who spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting. “We want a school board that focuses on the student. We want a school board that fixes the problems that the previous board had.

“Do the right thing and keep Beverly Hills open.”

Laura Blackwell, a CCS board member, asked Rich how the district would be impacted if the school remained untouched.

“There would be a domino effect,” he said, though Rich didn’t explain specifics.. “There will be a lot of impacts from that and the existing boundary it serves.”

The expected implementation of any boundary realignments would occur in the fall of 2024 following a Feb. 12 school board vote to approve a plan.

“We can’t delay this process, or we are not being fair to anyone,” said CCS board member Sam Treadaway. “We can’t.”

Information about the Cabarrus County Schools realignment plan, including the Cooperative Strategies recommendations, can be found at engagewithccs.com.