Interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh will present plans Tuesday for boundaries for three new elementary schools opening in 2023, plus a new Montessori magnet school in an existing building. That will be followed by a public hearing at Tuesday’s school board meeting, with a vote Aug. 23.
Hattabaugh’s recommendations include:
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A new school south of J.W. Grier Academy in east Charlotte would create boundary changes for Grier, Hidden Valley, Newell and Reedy Creek elementary schools. The new school is expected to open with about 625 students. Some students would also see a change in their middle and high school assignments.
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A second new school in east Charlotte would create boundary changes for Albemarle Road, Idlewild, Windsor Park and Winterfield elementary schools. Charlotte East Language Academy, a K-8 school at the old Eastland Mall site, would also give up its neighborhood zone and become a full Spanish immersion magnet school. The new school is projected to open with about 585 students.
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A new school in the county’s southern tip would pull students from Ballantyne, Elon Park and Hawk Ridge elementary schools. The new school is expected to open with about 650 students, and no immediate changes to middle and high school assignments are planned.
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The Lincoln Heights school in north Charlotte would reopen as a Montessori magnet school for grades preK-6.
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E.E. Waddell school in southwest Charlotte, which opened as a high school, then served as a K-8 magnet school, is scheduled to reopen as a magnet high school. Hattabaugh’s plan calls for it to house the Performance Learning Center, the district’s virtual school and a new program for recent immigrants who are learning to speak English. The district will continue to look at additional programs for Waddell.
- Turning Point Academy, an alternative program for students with discipline problems, would move into the Performance Learning Center space in north Charlotte’s Derita neighborhood.
People who want to weigh in on the assignment changes — or discuss other issues during the public comment period — should email boardservices@cms.k12.nc.us or call 980-343-5163 by noon Tuesday.
The 2023 changes are part of a comprehensive plan for student assignment and facilities that’s expected to include a bond referendum next year.
