A week after the start of school, parking lots are still being paved.
Parents are asking for new bus stops.
And staffs are still getting used to their new school homes.
"We are so proud of the new building," said Donna Horton, the principal at Carter High School, which moved to a new home on the same campus as the Kennedy Learning Center. "It's just incredible. The hallways are wide. The lights are bright."
When school started last week, Carter -- which had construction delays because of weather -- was one of several schools where workers were scrambling to get everything done. On Tuesday, workers were finishing up last-minute details.
As part of the move, Carter High School dropped the word "Vocational" from its name. Although the high school still helps its 170 students with disabilities develop vocational skills, school officials thought that the new name would help create a more positive image for the school.
"This is a place for growth," Horton said.
At the moment, it looks as if the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system will have about 450 more students than last year. Last year, the school system had 51,460 students on Day 5. This year, it had 51,909.
At some places, such as Speas Elementary School, it was down to the wire getting everything ready, Superintendent Don Martin said. But people worked hard and things came together.
"You always have a few hiccups the first week of school," said Darrell Walker, the school system's assistant superintendent for operations.
Parking-lot projects at Moore, Sedge Garden and Diggs-Latham elementary schools are nearing completion. Sedge Garden will probably be completed over the weekend, and the other two within a week or so, Walker said.
About 29,000 students ride the buses, and so far, everything has gone relatively smoothly, said Rhonda Fleming, the school system's transportation director.
Some parents have been asking for new bus stops. Even though Fleming understands parents' desire to be able to see the stop from their homes, that may not be practical.
For one, stops aren't made down side roads unless there are 10 or more students. Bus stops may be up to a half-mile apart, which helps save costs. Bus stops have to be readily visible to drivers -- 300 feet in both directions -- so some requests can't be honored because the requested stop is around a curve or below a hill.
"Our focus is safety every day," Fleming said.
kunderwood@wsjournal.com
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