The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board Tuesday approved boundaries for a new southwest elementary school and an expansion of Lansdowne Elementary. They will change assignments for six existing schools.
A new elementary school will open in southwest Charlotte in August 2021, located near the boundary of the Lake Wylie and Steele Creek zones. The plan calls for the yet-unnamed new school to pull students from Steele Creek, Nations Ford and Sterling elementary schools, with capacity for 900 students. There's a minor change to the Lake Wylie boundary because the new school is within the current Lake Wylie zone.
In August 2022, an expanded Lansdowne Elementary will open and pull about 180 students from crowded Elizabeth Lane. That boundary planalso brings no changes for middle or high school assignments.
The 2017 bond package included money to build a bigger Lansdowne on the site of the current school and tear down the old building. The project was supposed to be done by August 2021, but construction consultant Dennis LaCaria said the challenges of building on limited land and demolishing a nearby building delayed the opening date.
The boundary change has been controversial since the district began presenting different scenarios to the community in October. More than a dozen parents spoke for and against the final version at a public hearing Tuesday.
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