Many parents from Wake Forest and Wakefield do not want their children to attend a temporary modular school that will be built on the Dubois Center campus. The parents have criticized the six-mile distance of the school from where they live. They also have safety concerns. Many parents claim several registered sex offenders live in that area.
At Monday's work session, school board members and county commissioners said they have to have the new school open by fall.
"The more time we delay in making the site selection, the more risk they introduce in the process," said Mike Burriss, assistant superintendent of facilities.
Wake school officials estimate it will cost about $4 million to put the modular school at the Dubois Center site. A Wakefield development company offered a site on Queensland Road for free, but it would cost $4.6 million to develop that land.
School officials said the shape and topography of the Queensland Road site would make it difficult to put a modular school there. County commissioner Kenn Gardner said there are still some unanswered questions about the issue.
"I think there are other options that need to be discussed and looked at. I'm still interested in seeing what their thought process was and about how they arrived at this being the best solution," he said. "It may be the best solution for our community, but I still want to have that input and understanding if we move forward."
The modular school plan will help to ease overcrowding at four elementary schools -- Wakefield, Wake Forest, Wildwood Forest and Fox Road Elementary.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
