WS/FCS to seek community input on diversifying schools with new residential zones

Back in November, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools was awarded a two-year planning grant intended to foster more diverse schools, and officials have spent the last few months researching and modeling the district’s current landscape as it relates to economic diversity. 

They found that just 24 of the district’s schools have a balance of ranges of income. The others have higher concentrations of wealth or poverty. 

Chief Equity Officer Effie McMillian explained this at a school board meeting on Tuesday. 

“What all that tells us is that the majority of our schools, nearly 70% are socioeconomically segregated," she said. "So that gives you one of the reasons why we pursued this grant, in addition to the fact that a comprehensive look and reimagining of our residential boundaries has not been done in approximately 30 years.”

Those boundaries play a major role in the makeup of a school.

For example, families zoned for Jefferson Middle School have a median income of more than $100,000. That’s nearly five times as much as those zoned for Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy. 

McMillian says students who attend diverse schools have stronger academic outcomes and are more likely to enroll in college than students in schools with high concentrations of poverty. 

“Dropout rates are significantly impacted," she said. "And it reduces disparities in access to well-maintained facilities, highly-qualified teachers and challenging courses.” 

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Tiffany Drew spoke in support of the district's effort to foster more diverse schools. 

"It promotes understanding and empathy, prepares students for real-world diversity, and helps reduce stereotypes and prejudices," Drew said. "In our ever-polarizing society, it is important to embrace every chance possible to get to know and understand each other better." 

District officials say updating the residential boundaries can also resolve some transportation inefficiencies, but it will be a while before any of that happens. 

The next step is for the district to engage with thousands of students, parents and staff to discuss potential solutions. 

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.