Growing High Schools

The Pitt County Board of Education plans to "grow" three high schools, leaving three other high schools at the same capacity, according to their 2009 Facility Plan.
In the first phase of this plan, the school administration will add classrooms at Farmville Central High School. In the second phase of their construction plan, additional classrooms are planned for Ayden-Grifton High School and North Pitt High School.
While it seems great to add classrooms at these facilities, it won't be great when the school system begins bussing students to Ayden-Grifton High School, to Farmville Central, and to North Pitt. This will occur in order to fill up the classrooms while other schools will remain at their relative levels.
Certainly one reason for this is to keep from building another high school. However, there has been plenty of talk indicating that sports is also impacting the administration's decision because of the travel that Rose High School must endure. So what happens is the five county high schools will be "close" to the same enrollment enabling them to be in the same sports conference.
From a southern Pitt County perspective, Ayden-Grifton High School is a small high school that has been performing well of late. In my opinion, it needs to be allowed to grow normally, not grow at the hands of consultants who will move students in order to fill the classroom seats.
The Town of Ayden has a plan of growth and that plan should be allowed to take hold when the economy turns around. Large schools bring bigger problems. Anyone who believes that it is easier to run a large school over a smaller school is simply not enlightened.
Besides, Ayden-Grifton High School is a community school and we deserve to keep our students who are in our community.
it is obvious that the present administration has little concern for community schools and ours in particular. After all, this is the same administration that wanted to tear down successful K-8 schools in Grifton and Chicod before the people of each community stood up and resoundingly said "no". To-date, there's been no word on what will happen at Grifton School or for that matter, what the plans are with K-8 schools north of the river.
The time has come, we believe, for the community to take a look at the administration's attempt to artificially "grow" three high schools, and Ayden-Grifton High School in particular. I don't believe our residents in Ayden and Grifton want to be the place that tries to solve redistricting issues in and around Greenville.