Rosewood next on school meetings' schedule
By Andrew Bell
Published in News on October 1, 2006 2:06 AM
Parents and residents in the Rosewood area will get their opportunity to voice concerns to the Facilities Master Plan Team during Monday night's community meeting at Rosewood High School.
The Rosewood meeting, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. is the fifth of six community meetings intended to discuss facilities issues with each county school's advisory council and to hear concerns and complaints from the general public regarding school buildings.
At previous meetings at Charles B. Aycock, Spring Creek, Goldsboro and Southern Wayne high schools, parents and residents discussed school conditions, the need for new facilities, racial diversity and the county's educational system.
The main topic of conversation at each community meeting has been the school board's proposed five-year, $90 million facilities plan, which would provide much-needed schools, maintenance and additions to schools countywide. The facilities master team, which consists of commissioner and school board members, are considering all options for funding the plan, including a bond referendum next May.
The Wayne County Board of Education completed the five-year plan as part of an Evergreen Solutions study. County officials hired Evergreen Solutions to assess the schools' facilities needs.
Unlike other feeder areas in the county, Rosewood schools aren't slated to receive a large amount of money from the $90 million facilities plan for new schools or major additions to an existing school.
Wayne County Schools assistant superintendent for auxiliary services Sprunt Hill said Rosewood schools are considered in the school board's five-year, $90 million facilities plan, but Rosewood schools won't receive as much as other feeder areas.
During the county's last bond referendum in 1996, the bond money was used to build a new Rosewood Elementary, a gymnasium for the high school and a new wing for the middle school, Hill said.
Hill added that flooring and ceiling needs at Rosewood schools will be considered in the future, but a majority of the facilities plan money for Rosewood schools will be used for routine maintenance.
On Monday night, Wayne County Schools Superinten-dent Dr. Steven Taylor will begin the meeting by welcoming attendees and making general comments about the Evergreen Solutions plan and the county's plan for schools.
Then, Hill will discuss an overview of the facilities plan process and what is proposed for the Rosewood feeder area in the five-year plan.
After the introduction, advisory council members from Rosewood High, Middle and Elementary schools can make comments to the facilities master team or ask board members questions about facilities.
Following that, residents can make comments to the facilities master team, but can't ask questions to board members. Instead, board members will take notes and consider any possible changes to the school board's five-year plan.
The final community meeting will be at Eastern Wayne High School on Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. The community meeting is intended for parents and residents involved with Eastern Wayne High, Middle and Elementary schools, Greenwood Middle, Meadow Lane Elementary and Tommy's Road Elementary.