Eliminating satellite zones in Greensboro involves much more shifting of students than in High Point because two-thirds of the county's 27 satellite zones are in Greensboro. This would mean building two new schools in predominantly black east Greensboro, reopening two other campuses and allowing expansion of 40 of the county's 94 schools. There are also provisions for revamping the district's magnet school program and funneling more money to inner-city schools to help them keep good teachers, raise student test scores and get parents more involved. The school board wants to approve a final plan on April 1 and phase it in over the next several years as money becomes available to build schools and beef up academic programs. For many parents, however, the element of the redistricting plan that seems most appealing is the chance to send their children to a school closer to home.
Some parents view busing as an inconvenience.
They do not see the need to drive their children to a school 30 minutes across town, especially when they pass their neighborhood school on the way. They say the time spent on the road makes it hard sometimes to help out at school, meet their children for lunch or attend a PTA meeting. Other parents have no cars, which makes it virtually impossible to get to a school event no matter what it is. At a public forum last month at Western High School, Greensboro resident Chris Fuller told the school board he was bused from his home near Battleground Avenue to Bluford Elementary, which is located near Dudley High School. He said he disliked the experience.