GCS is planning to build a STEM elementary school on Boylston Road in Colfax to help with overcrowding at current schools in the area.
GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — We've seen the proof through major development projects, including just an expansion at PTI airport.
To accommodate all those new workers and families, Guilford County Schools is building additional schools.
It's happening in Colfax, but some neighbors aren't happy.
Folks who drive in the area of Boylston Road will see signs taped on street corners disapproving of the new k- 8 school Guilford County leader want to build.
For 20 years, Tim Thompson has lived near the proposed site of the Katherine G. Johnson School for Science and Mathematics.
“These are little country roads back here where they’re discussing building the elementary school,” Thompson said. “Then you got a real traffic issue.”
To address his and other neighbors' concerns, project representative Amanda Hodierne told GCS and county leaders at a meeting Tuesday they’ll consider infrastructure changes following a traffic impact analysis.
“The point of that is to ensure that at the end of the day, this use is safe and functional on the road system," Hodierne said. "The current specification of Boylston and Bunker Hill Road are not appropriate for this school we have to make them that way."
Thompson said he’d rather see the 34-acre STEM school be built elsewhere.
“This is about the only place in Guilford you can move to where you feel like you’re in the country anymore and it's quickly getting populated out here,” Thompson said. "So yeah to expand the road system would change the environment around here and not necessarily for the good.”
The plot of land is between Southwest and Colfax elementary schools.
Superintendent Dr. Whitney Oakley said several factors played a part In why the district chose the area.
Have you attended a #bettertogether community session with Dr. Oakley yet? She is actively working to engage parents and the community and get feedback from YOU!
Posted by Crissy Pratt, GCS School Board Representative District 2 on Tuesday, February 21, 2023
“To attempt to alleviate overcrowding in growing areas of the county to accommodate student enrollment,” Oakley said.
Enrollment at Southwest Elementary and Middle would almost double the state's average by 2025.
Meyakka Sturdivant attended Southwest Guilford School as a child.
"Looking at 1,000 plus homes that have come up in the past year or two it's probably beyond overcrowded," Sturdivant said. "It’s an issue with the teachers being able to handle that load."
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Sturdivant said she’s considering moving back to the area but she’s concerned her 6-year-old would end up suffering.
“When you think about your elementary kids growing and staying In that area and district because it's overcrowded,” Sturdivant said. “We need more than one to two schools in the area.”
The money to build the school is already set aside.There are still several steps before the project gets off the ground.
The proposed site is in High Point city limits. Their planning and zoning commission will hold a public meeting on May 23 to get more feedback.
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