DATE: Thursday, October 23, 1997            TAG: 9710230534

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MATTHEW BOWERS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: SUFFOLK                           LENGTH:   40 lines

SUFFOLK PARENTS WANT TO KNOW WHERE KIDS WILL GO TO SCHOOL

Brenda Peters came looking for simple answers to complex questions Wednesday night: Would her younger son go to kindergarten next year at Florence Bowser, Nansemond Parkway or the new Mack Benn Jr. elementary schools? Where would her kindergarten-age son attend first grade?

Faye and Raymond Worthington, who live near the Mack Benn Jr. school site, wondered where their two children will go, and whether their third-grade son would be in a mobile classroom outside of Nansemond Parkway Elementary again, like he's been for two years.

They were among some 50 curious, nervous upset parents in the cafeteria at Nansemond River High School. All heard school officials say that school attendance zone changes next year accompanying the September 1998 opening of Benn Elementary, the growing city's 17th public school, could touch all 11 elementary schools.

Or, if the City Council approves money to renovate Booker T. Washington Elementary School, the rezoning would, for one year, move only Booker T. students to the new school near the southern end of Nansemond Parkway.

They heard school officials say there is no plan, yet.

They heard nervous parents who had bought homes based on existing school zones.

They heard upset parents who don't want their children bused past one school to attend another farther away.

They heard school officials say they would try not to split communities.

They heard that the rezoning plan will go to the School Board in February, there'll be a public hearing in March, and the board will vote on it in April.

They heard school officials acknowledge that rezonings disrupt families.

They heard no definitive answers, but they left with some information. And that was OK.

``Overall, yeah,'' Faye Worthington said. ``Like a jigsaw puzzle, but not all of the pieces are there yet. But it will.''

``It worked good,'' Peters said. ``I've got some idea how the school my son is attending now is going to play into the rezoning.''

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