Officials Discuss New High School

Foy spoke with Valerie Foushee, chairwoman of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools board of education, and Barry Jacobs, chairman of Orange County Board of Commissioners, about the new high school.

Some commissioners referred to the third high school as the fifth high school. "The board caters to both school systems in the southern and northern regions of Orange County," Foy said. "This new school is the fifth high school that the school board will build."

Officials did not discuss the precise location for the new school, but they have ruled out the Southern Park property.

Officials said they hope to build the school by 2005, but a projected budget has not been secured. "It all depends on the size and location of the school," Foy said. "The last school that was built, (Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough), cost over $40 million."

The significant increase in the number of students attending the Chapel Hill high schools is the main cause of the need for a new high school, said Principal David Thaden of East Chapel Hill High School.

"We have experienced dramatic growth in the past six years," he said.

When the county first noticed this problem, the board divided students between the two high schools.

ECHHS originally had 600 students, but now it has 1,480 students. Chapel Hill High School had an original capacity of 1,000, but that number became 1,500 to allot room for more students.

But with increasing enrollment, CHHS now has 1,700 students. "A third high school is definitely needed," Thaden said.

Concerns about the issue have led to the formation of Citizens Advocating for a Third High School, a group committed to making the high school a reality.

Chapel Hill resident and CATS founder Etta Pisano said she wants the commissioners to have a strong commitment to the building of the high school. She also expressed frustration that commissioners are moving at a "snail's pace" with the issue. "We want our kids to be well-served, and this should be a priority," Pisano said.

Despite what some feel is a slow-moving approach to the issue, Mayor Foy assured the public that officials have approached the problem since learning about overcrowding in the schools through complaints and proposals from local residents who attended Chapel Hill Town Council meetings.

Foy has agreed to join council members and school board members together in order to expedite the new development.

Foy said, "We will continue to be partners in this ongoing issue."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.