ABSS Rezoning Process Nears Completion, Materials Now Available Online

The Alamance-Burlington School System moved to redraw its school boundaries for the 2026-27 school year, with a board vote scheduled for March 23, driven by growing overcrowding across the district. The vote capped months of community engagement that began in early January, when SchoolCAMP, the NC State University planning program guiding the process, first presented its framework to board members and the public.

ABSS worked with SchoolCAMP, a planning program housed at NC State's Institute for Transportation Research and Education, to analyze enrollment, capacity and growth projections. At a January 13 Board of Education work session, representatives from SchoolCAMP shared the rezoning process and outlined key dates and timeline. A community survey that kicked off January 5 closed January 15, and two opportunities for community feedback were held during in-person sessions that month. SchoolCAMP also shared an overview of data collected from board members in the BOE priority survey.

The two in-person sessions were held January 22 at Williams High School, 1307 S. Church St. in Burlington, and January 28 at Southeast Alamance High School, 3400 S. Hwy. 119 in Haw River, both at 6 p.m. The community survey received over 3,000 responses.

The school board voted March 23 on new boundary maps affecting roughly 1,440 students across 11 elementary and three middle schools. ABSS is expected to grow by more than 1,000 students within five years and 3,000 within a decade, driven in part by an estimated 13,000 new homes expected to be built in the county by 2035. The most critical capacity case is Audrey W. Garrett Elementary, which currently enrolls 803 students against a program capacity of 654, a 169% utilization rate.

SchoolCAMP has characterized this rezoning as a "bandage bridge," a short-term solution while longer-term facility options continue to be developed. A second planning phase running from 2026 through 2028 will examine longer-range facility options, including new construction. Affected families will be notified of their new school assignments in April.

The SchoolCAMP Master Plan Document, recorded solution sessions, and the January 13 board meeting video are all posted on the ABSS rezoning webpage at abss.k12.nc.us for public review.

The January 13 work session also brought a separate piece of significant news for the district's teaching workforce. Dr. Sean McWherter, ABSS assistant superintendent of academics, shared information about the Advanced Teacher Roles grant awarded to ABSS from the Department of Public Instruction, totaling $1,416,657 over three years. ATR models create additional career pathways for teachers with a track record of success, coaching peers, leading teachers, and supporting more students, while offering additional salary incentives and leadership opportunities outside the traditional pathway. The first four schools to implement the advanced teaching roles were selected based on principals' willingness and the climate of those schools. ABSS plans to pilot the opportunity in four schools during the 2026-2027 school year before expanding. After the grant covers the first three years, teachers' salary incentives will be funded internally by schools.