CARY--The Wake County School Board took a final look at the student assignment plan for the 2016-2017 school year during Tuesday's work session.
Board members decided to make one change after viewing the third draft.
More than 100 students from Wakefield and West Millbrook Middle Schools will not be moved to the new Pine Hollow Middle School in Raleigh.
"West Millbrook students will have the calendar option of Pine Hollow, year-round calendar option. And Wakefield students will have Durant Middle School as a year-round calendar option,” said WCPSS spokesperson Matt Dees.
Five new schools will open in 2016, and it's the job of education leaders to fill them.
But it’s been a challenge for administrators to find common ground with parents and children affected by the changes.
School officials say October's public hearings were key in making the tough decisions.
"A lot of the feedback was conflicting, so we had to weigh a lot of different components when we're considering parent feedback and do the best we can to do what's best for the entire district,” said Dees.
The district is on pace to add 3,000 students per year, and school officials say reassignment is necessary to avoid overcrowding in the classroom.
"It's part art and part science. But we can tell with some precision how many students and families are expected to be in certain areas, and you want to set this up that you don't have to move students anymore than is possible,” said WCPSS spokesperson Tim Simmons.
The board is expected to vote on the Student Assignment Plan on Dec. 1.
The third draft of the student assignment proposal can be viewed here.