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Union County School leaders discuss new student reassignment plan with public

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Students in Union County could soon change schools again.

The district is considering a new realignment plan that would undo much of its controversial plan from three years ago.

Parents said they hope this change will be for the better.

"Not everybody's going to be happy,” Beth Euler said.

Euler had two big reasons that brought her to Tuesday's meeting.

"My 6-year-old child travels 25 minutes all the way across town to go to school. To me, that's unsettling,” Euler said.

Euler has a 12-year-old who also travels far to attend school.

Euler is not alone, as the wounds are still fresh for many Union County parents after a controversial 2014 redistricting plan.

“There's a lot of angry parents, parents who have moved into a new subdivision that you could literally walk to school, but they're forced to go to another school,” Euler said.

District leaders have said this plan aims to fix that.

“Maximize bus efficiency and cut down on travel times for students, cut down on some overcrowding and just get kids in their neighborhood schools,” said Amy Erb, a parent and a teacher.

Erb will sit on the Citizens Advisory Committee tasked with taking in community feedback for a new realignment plan.

She's hopeful this will bring positive change, as does Euler, but both know it won't be easy.

"My daughter will more than likely have to go through a change and that's extremely hard,” Euler said. “If it's not done in a vacuum and everybody's voices are truly heard, it can really be, kind of bring the community back together and that sense of unity with the district that doesn't exist right now.”

The first student realignment Citizens Advisory Committee is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Professional Development Center, which will be open to the public.

The school board will tentatively vote on a plan next spring.

Union County Schools lost state transportation funding since the 2014 realignment.

Officials said it was because of decreased efficiency.