Educators address southwest school intentions

Paul B. Johnson, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·3 min read

Apr. 26—GUILFORD COUNTY — Leaders of Guilford County Schools provided details on a new southwest K-8 school on Tuesday in the wake of criticism from residents in the area that they haven't addressed their concerns about traffic safety and how the site was picked.

Superintendent Whitney Oakley and her staff provided a detailed explanation of where the school system stands with the planning for the project and offered assurances that roadway improvements would be made to accommodate the new school.

Oakley said Guilford County Schools hasn't yet purchased the property for the school but is in the process of securing the site. The High Point Enterprise reported last week that the city of High Point has been approached about annexing the property.

The Enterprise reported that the site covers 30 acres at S. Bunker Hill and Boylston roads.

Oakley and her staff told Guilford County commissioners that the school system considered 14 potential sites. The city of High Point is reviewing the proposal for the preferred site.

The site would be annexed and rezoned institutional. Public hearings on the school proposal are set to be held May 23 before the High Point Planning and Zoning Commission and June 20 before the High Point City Council.

Guilford County Board of Commissioners Chairman Skip Alston said he and other commissioners were impressed with the presentation, but he regrets that the same presentation and format weren't used at a community meeting last week with residents near the school site.

During the public comment period at a board of commissioners meeting last week, three area residents blasted the school system for the way they handled the community meeting, saying they couldn't get straight answers to questions and concerns..

"People came to our meeting to vent their frustrations," Alston said.

Oakley said school system leadership and staff will continue to reach out to area residents and take their concerns into account. For example, the school system is consulting with the city of High Point and N.C. Department of Transportation about addressing a curve in Boylston Road that was raised as a concern by residents.

Oakley said the new K-8 school is expected to be a STEM school, an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math education. Not only would the new school be a STEM school, but Oakley said it would serve as a STEM hub for other schools in the area.

The new school will be named the Katherine G. Johnson School for Science and Mathematics. Johnson was a NASA engineer during the space program leading up to the Apollo mission to land on the moon, and her brilliance as a scientist was the subject of the recent film "Hidden Figures."

The discussion about the new K-8 southwest school took place at the meeting of the Joint Capital/Facilities Planning Committee composed of county commissioners and school board members. The meeting was held at a county meeting room in downtown Greensboro.

Guilford County voters approved $2 billion in bonds through a $300 million referendum in November 2020 and $1.7 billion in May 2022. The bond projects are meant to transform Guilford County Schools for decades to come and address deferred maintenance and delayed new school construction.

The K-8 southwest Guilford County school was part of the 2020 bond referendum.

The joint committee was formed under the administration of former Superintendent Sharon Contrares, who suggested creating the group five years ago to keep commissioners and school board members abreast of Guilford County Schools facility needs.

pjohnson@hpenews.com — 336-888-3528 — @HPEPaul