92 going once ... going twice, do I hear 100?

This is beginning to look like eBay as more and more parents place bids by opting out of the district's two lowest performing elementary schools.

On August 20th, we had "more than 80" students opting out of CES and ECES. By the next day, the number had risen to 83. The Daily Tar Heel reports that "Ninety-two students took advantage of the transfer option." [Note: Sept. 6, the Durham Herald Sun reported the number to be 91 transfer students]

With the door still open for parents wanting to opt out of CES and ECES, can 100 be far behind?

I am sure that this level of parental support for school choice has come as an absolute shock to the Orange County Board of Education and to the district staff. Based on a Vanderbilt University study that found only 1.6% of parents opt out of their local school when it enters Title 1 School Improvement status, the Board and staff probably expected only 12 children to be attending new schools this fall. Funny how those pesky parents can mess up the best laid plans.

Based on enrollment numbers from this past February (CES=300, ECES=439) it turns out that Orange County parents are 8 times more likely to embrace school choice.

In fact, if you include the children zoned to CES and ECES but already attending HES and those previously granted transfers to other district schools, over 35% of students in those zones now attend schools their parents chose for them!

This should serve as a clear message to the Orange County Board of Education:

Orange County parents want school choice!

And, if they have to wait for their child's current school to be labeled "failing" in order to get those choices, so be it. So, when that door opens up at New Hope Elementary next summer, don't be surprised when a lot more parents walk out.

To those CES or ECES parents still unsure about what to do, don't hesitate to sieze this opportunity to provide the best possible situation for your child.

While I don't know about the parents at the four traditional calendar schools, the HES family has already welcomed many of your child's former classmates with open arms, and there is still room for yours.