news-record.com

 A proposed elementary school was the hot topic of a Southeast Guilford community education forum held last night.

The location of a proposed Southeast area elementary school was foremost on the minds of the hundred or so people who turned out for the forum held at Southeast Guilford High School. The event was moderated by Dave Gearheart, president of Southeast Guilford Community Foundation, and Margret Arbuckle, executive director of the Guilford Education Alliance.

Linda Welborn, a grassroots advocate for the new elementary school expressed concern over a proposed location near McLeansville.

"With the school sitting in the middle of the Eastern elementary school district, it just seems logical that it would serve those schools," Welborn told the panel that included Guilford County Schools Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green, Phyllis Martin, who leads the Southeastern Region, Executive Director of Facilities and Construction Andy LaRowe, District 5 School Board representative Paul Daniels and Guilford County School Board Chairman Alan Duncan.

A 2008 bond paved the way for the new elementary school in the Southeast Guilford area to ease the overcrowding of Alamance Elementary School. A proposed site south of I-85 was scraped in favor of the current potential site near McLeansville. But that land purchase has also been put on hold while a special advisory team revaluates the site.

School chairman Duncan explained that Guilford County Schools has halted moving forward with the proposed location and tried to allay fears of the new school not meeting it's goal.

"When we pushed the pause button, it was because there is a concern with the location of the school being north of I-85," said Duncan.

The bond set aside over $24 million for K-5 school to accommodate 700 students. The proposed school, which would feature a wing for Autistic and special needs students, requires approximately 55 acres.

"It's an arduous process and a continuing search," said Executive Director of Facilities and Construction Andy LaRowe. "There's a lot of factors hear."

Both LaRowe and Duncan explained that the search is a closed-door process because of negotiations with potential sellers, but both welcomed site suggestions from Southeast residents.

"I'm hopeful," said District 5 representative Paul Daniels.

Along with an update on the Southeast Area Elementary School, LaRowe also gave updates on the status of new construction and renovations of Alamance Elementary School and Southeast Middle and High Schools.

Superintendent "Mo" Green also spoke on goals for academic excellence and a need to establish geographic regions within the county.