Triad Schools No Longer On List For Takeover

State education officials have pared down a list of almost 50 academically struggling schools that were being considered for a controversial new district program, and the latest draft changes the outlook for those in the Triad.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County led the state with the most troubled schools named to the original list with eight targeted for possible takeover by outside operators. Three more were in Guilford.

Late last week, state officials whittled the list to just six low-performing schools, and none of them are in the Triad. That paring down came after a data review of the original 48 qualifying schools.

The schools that remain come from the Durham, Northampton and Robeson County schools and the Nash-Rocky Mount district.

At issue is whether the schools would be part of a new state program called The Innovative School District. The project's superintendent will recommend at least two schools from the remaining half-dozen to the State Board of Education in November. Charter operators or other organizations would lead the chosen schools.

The North Carolina legislature created the district last year, saying it would bring a cutting-edge teaching model to boost performance. Critics of the program say it hasn't proved successful elsewhere and removes local control.