Interim Superintendent Dr. James Merrill announced during Thursday’s Board of Education meeting that Wayne County Public Schools is exploring the possibility of opening a school on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
The school would be “jointly attended by children of the military and children of Wayne County who may not be military” and 4th Fighter Wing leaders have already shown WCPS officials buildings that, Merrill said “would work very well for a school.”
A meeting with the base and county will be held Friday morning to “look at what this thing might be about,” he added.
“So we are toying with the idea of how to create that collaborative effort,” Merrill said. “It’s in the clouds right now … but we’re very excited about the possibility of what this could bring.”
I have said FOR YEARS there should be a DOD school on base where the prison was previously–the buildings and grounds would be easily converted and its proximity to the “back gate” on Slocumb would keep it from interfering with traffic and other work on the base. I hope this idea comes to fruition.
This is a bad idea! Have you walked into the majority of existing OLDER schools here? Your current buildings need to be remolded or torn down and rebuilt! Goldsboro city schools are physically in horrid condition! Yet, Wayne County Schools, being in the financial mess its in wants to start a new school? Do you know the cost involved? Even if they use an existing building, staff must be hired, equipment purchased and installed, not to mention the overhaul required to convert a current building into a school would involve. Why not take that money and invest it into your current schools that need new facilities?